


Tales from the Literature Club

by wildfluffyappeared



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Compilation, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I also might make an OC for a romantic interest for Monika later on but I'm not sure, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Maybe eventual angst?, Romance, Short Stories, Some minor characters will be OCs, Trans Lesbian Natsuki, Trans Natsuki, bisexual yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-31 00:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15107960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildfluffyappeared/pseuds/wildfluffyappeared
Summary: A overarching connected compilation of cute fluffy little stories I'm writing about an AU where Monika gets a second chance to fix everything and not hurt anyone anymore. How will things vary from canon now that the game has gone off-script? How will the characters interact and develop together when they're not being driven into despair and mental illness by Monika's interference? Let's find out together~





	1. My Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for clicking on my work! :) okay so the first few chapters are going to be establishing everyone's relationships, and then after that i'm going to just write little one-shots about the characters/couples. If you have any prompts or ideas you'd like to see me write, feel free to comment and let me know! If I like it, it'll make it into an upcoming chapter and I'll credit ya haha~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place from MC's point of view.

I stand outside Sayori’s house, waiting for her to come out. I don’t care if I’m late to school; it’s not like I’m going to pay much attention anyway, so if I’m late it doesn’t really matter. It’s more important to me to walk Sayori to school.

See, a month or so ago, I joined a club where Sayori’s the Vice President: the Literature Club. At first, I was… being a typical teenage idiot, only concerned about how I could try to date one of the girls in the club. But… Sayori started acting different. Eventually, one day she left early. Monika, the club president, suggested I leave early too, just to make sure she was okay. So I went and followed her home, catching up to her about halfway there. We talked for a bit. At first, she was upset that I came after her, saying that I should be worrying about more important things. But eventually, I got it out of her: she’s been struggling with depression her whole life. Naturally, I was floored. But I committed myself to helping her out with her feelings. Monika and I talked her into seeing a therapist, and… she’s still depressed obviously, you don’t get over that in a month, but she’s already doing so much better.

Lately, I’ve been trying to be there for her as much as I can be. It’s kinda hard for me because… I realized after a while that I really like her. Like, a lot. But I can’t ask her to be my girlfriend, not yet. That would be too much pressure for her right now, being in a relationship. She needs to prioritize herself right now, and I think it’s important that I try my best to be there for her without any strings attached.

Suddenly, the door opens, and out comes Sayori, on time today, her red hair glowing in the sunlight. She looks a lot more put-together these days. Long gone are the days of messy hair and toothpaste-stained collars. I think she’s feeling more motivated lately, because she sees herself making progress, which in turn helps her make more progress. I couldn’t be prouder of her.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I say, grinning widely. “Sunshine” is my nickname for her. I started calling her that in response to her usage of “rainclouds” as a metaphor for her depression. I guess I just call her that to remind her that while she may have rainclouds over her head, she’s still a warm and bright ray of sunshine to me.

Sayori beams back at me. “Good morning yourself, dork!” she shouts, giggling. We head off to school together, Sayori animatedly telling me about the breakfast she cooked for herself this morning.

“And I didn’t even burn the house down!” she finishes triumphantly.

“Aww, I’m so proud,” I say, wrapping one arm around her gently in a friendly hug. She blushes slightly before wrapping her arm around me in return.

“Hey, MC…” she says softly. “I remember just a few weeks ago, you were afraid of anyone thinking we were a couple or something, and yet here you are now, with your arm wrapped around me in the middle of the street. Funny, huh?”

Now I’m the one who blushes, embarrassed. At this point, I certainly wouldn’t mind anyone thinking we were together, but… again, I can’t put that pressure on Sayori right now. “D-don’t get the wrong idea!” I shout.

She giggles again, nudging me with her elbow. “I’m just teasing you, silly! Ehehe~”

* * *

 

The school day passes and we’re back at the Literature Club. I spend some time reading manga with Natsuki today. I’ve been trying to hang out a bit with everyone on different days. Before the festival, I was anxious to approach Monika, but in the wake of helping Sayori with her depression, she and I became better friends, so now I hang out with her too, along with the other girls.

Natsuki, on the other hand, has quickly become one of my closest friends. Ever since she came out as lesbian to me, she and I both seem to have eased up our tension around each other, and now that there’s no romantic tension, we’ve bonded a lot over the past couple weeks. I kind of see her almost like a little sister at this point.

Natsuki and I have almost finished Parfait Girls, so we’re trying to get to the end today. The ending of the story is really very satisfying, and honestly I didn’t expect it to turn out to be so interesting. As I close the manga, I look over at Natsuki. “So, what now, Natsu?” I ask, using her shortened nickname.

“Now we get to talk about stuff!” she says with a smile. I assume she’s talking about discussing the story, until she continues, “Like… Sayori, for example.” She looks at me knowingly. “When are you going to ask her out, MC?”

I blush again. “Natsuki… it’s hard, you know? I don’t want to put the pressure on her of being in a relationship right now. And she might feel obligated to say yes…”

She laughs. “MC, you sound like a broken record, you say that EVERY TIME someone brings this up. She already seems to be doing a lot better. I think if you ask her out, she’s strong enough to say no if it’s not what she wants. You know what I think?” She fixes her magenta eyes on me. “I think you’re afraid. You’re afraid of rejection, or that you’ll do something wrong and hurt her.”

I avert my eyes. I know she’s right, deep down.

“But you know what? That’s a risk we all take, all the time, whenever we’re talking to anyone. And the fact that you’re so concerned about her well-being? The fact that you care so much about making sure she stays happy? MC, that means you’d be perfect for her. Plus, you’re so oblivious, she probably likes you too and you just don’t know it. So just man up and tell her, idiot!” she finishes, punching me softly on the shoulder as she does.

I chuckle. Maybe she’s right. But… “Natsuki, you’re one to talk. What about you? When are you going to ask Yuri out?” I ask, teasing her now.

Her face turns red, and now she looks away. “Y-Yuri? What? I don’t… like Yuri…” Her reaction completely gives it away. Of COURSE she likes Yuri. I don’t know who she thinks she’s kidding.

“Fine, fine,” I say, chuckling. I know I’m not going to get anywhere with this. But maybe she’ll take her own advice. She and Yuri deserve each other, to be honest. Their personalities complement each other so well. I really feel like Natsuki would help Yuri come out of her shell, while Yuri would help Natsuki temper her emotions and express them more clearly.

Before I can say anything else, Monika’s voice rings out from the front of the room. “Okay, everyone! It’s time to share poems!”

Oh wait… Dammit! I forgot to write a poem last night! I guess I’ll hope I have one in my backpack…

* * *

 

I found one in my backpack, thank goodness. Without even looking at it, I walk over to Sayori. “Hey, sunshine,” I say with a smile.

“Hi, MC! I’m excited to see your poem for today,” she says with a smile. I quickly hand her my poem.

Her eyes scan over it… once… twice… She’s… blushing now. What? What did I give her? Oh god, it wasn’t… that one, was it? I didn’t write that planning to show it to her…

She places the poem down on the desk. “It’s… it’s lovely, MC.” She’s grinning and blushing so much… I look at the poem I handed her. Oh god. Yep, it’s that one. I wrote this about her a while back. I wrote it as a sort of response to the first poem she ever showed me.

 

_My Sunshine_

_Even though the rainclouds may block the light from your blinds in the morning_

_I want to let you know I missed you._

_I want to kiss your forehead to help you out of bed._

_Make you rub the sleepy from your eyes._

_Oh, sunshine, won’t you come out to play?_

_I’ll do my best to help you through your rainy days._

_The rain comes down, but when I’m with you_

_Just like your eyes, my sky turns blue._

_I don’t want you to sleep forever._

_Please don’t be mad._

_I’ll make you breakfast._

 

Aside from being a blatant admission of my feelings, the whole poem is stolen from her ideas, so it’s not even good. I blush, and quickly take the poem back. “S-sorry… That was the wrong poem. You weren’t supposed to see that one, Sayori… I’m sorry I kind of… stole your idea.”

Sayori’s still blushing. “That’s okay, MC,” she says quietly. “I still liked it.” She giggles. “Aaaanyway, here’s mine!” she says, abruptly changing the subject. I take her poem.

 

_Mask_

_The happy mask I wear each day_

_Is starting to crack and crumble away_

_I mustn’t let it, no, please stay_

_For if it’s gone, what will everyone say?_

_When they see the tears that mark their place_

_With salty tracks streaked down my face_

_All my efforts will go to waste_

_Of trying to make this a happy place_

_I don’t want them to know how sad_

_I feel, and that things are so bad_

_I lied to them, they might even be mad_

_God, I just want to make them glad_

_It’s too late now, the mask is broken_

_But in their eyes, a new light has awoken_

_Is it really okay to let them care for me?_

_It’s starting to feel better, so I guess it must be_

_Their relieved faces are a joy to see_

_When my real face smiles, and I start to feel free_

This is… wow, she really does seem to be doing a lot better. “Sayori, this is amazing! You’re always so talented at conveying emotions, sunshine,” I say with a grin, before blushing after I realized I called her by that nickname again.

She blushes too, and says, “It’s nothing, really… Hey, go share with everyone else, okay? We can talk more later, on the way home.”

I smile and stand up. But first, I’m going to my backpack and finding a different poem. That one isn’t for anyone’s eyes but mine. And… Sayori’s, I guess.

* * *

 

Well, the club’s over, and Sayori and I are walking home now. She and I are both quiet the whole walk home. She’s probably feeling uncomfortable around me right now… I’d better not push it.

We arrive outside her house, and she almost keeps walking without realizing it. “Hey! Earth to Sayori,” I say, trying to get her attention. She seems startled, stopping in her tracks.

“O-oh, we’re home already…” she says, sounding disoriented.

“Yeah… Sayori, is everything alright?” I ask, concerned.

“Huh? Yeah, of course. I’m just thinking a bit. Nothing bad, I promise!” she says.

“Well, whatcha thinking about?” I say. I don’t want to leave her when there’s something on her mind like this.

She blushes again. “Just… about that poem you gave me earlier…”

Oh… “Sayori, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or—“

My sentence is cut off as Sayori suddenly wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her lips to mine. Without thinking, I pull her against me, kissing back. I softly trace my fingers through her hair, holding her close. She pulls away and smiles up at me.

“I was waiting for you to finally tell me you liked me, dork. It’s been obvious for the past couple weeks,” she says, giggling.

I blush again. Wow, I’m blushing a lot today… “Sayori… I…”

She cuts me off again. “You don’t have to say it, MC. I will. Will you be my boyfriend?” she says, a massive grin on her face.

I… Sayori wants to be with me? Here I was, thinking I’d be putting undue pressure on her by pursuing her, and this whole time, she wanted me? Wow, Natsuki’s right, I’m oblivious as hell. “Of course I will, sunshine,” I say, a grin breaking on my face again.

“Yay!” she shouts, before kissing me again. “You wanna come in and hang out for a bit?”

I nod, smiling, and we go inside. After all, with the sun shining so bright today, it could be nice to get some shade.


	2. Monika the Protector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Monika's point of view.

I sit on the piano bench, my fingers weaving a slow dance across the keys, a familiar melody pouring out. One of my favorite classical pieces, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”

I’ve given up on writing my own songs; the Player seems to truly be gone from this world, so I have no one to impress, but in return, this world and its inhabitants seem to be becoming more… real again. I smile to myself as I think of my club members. This time, I won’t let any harm come to them. If I have to edit the game itself, even if I have to throw myself into harm’s way, to keep them safe, I’ll do it. I won’t ever let the mistakes of my past happen again. I did everything she could to help convince Sayori to see a therapist, and encouraged Natsuki and Yuri to become better friends with one another. Their budding friendship seems to be helping deal with their emotional issues. Natsuki’s father is still a concern, true, but I can handle that eventually, if need be.

Looking up at the clock, I’m struck with a momentary panic. “I’m late!” I shout aloud. Rather than walking all the way across the school, I pull up the command console and spawn myself outside the clubroom, walking in as if everything was normal.

“I’m sorry, I’m super sorry, I didn’t mean to be late again!” I shout. I look around the room, taking in today’s scene.

Yuri and Natsuki are already over by the closet, no doubt picking one of Natsuki’s manga to read together. Ever since the two had become closer friends, each had been trying to appreciate the others’ interests. Lately, they had alternated days between reading Yuri’s novels and Natsuki’s manga. My eyes then land on MC and Sayori, who are… holding hands?

This is new. Those two had been friends since childhood, but I had no idea that Sayori’s feelings for him would continue to exist even now that the game has transcended its dating-simulator script, nor that MC would reciprocate those feelings. To be honest…. It makes me slightly uneasy. MC’s a bit of a wild card in this world; the fact that he exists without a character file means that I can’t read his entire personality on command. He’s entirely unique, unpredictable. And Sayori… Sayori is still getting over her depression. I find myself concerned for Sayori’s safety. If MC were to be unscrupulous or selfish in his pursuit of her, Sayori’s mental health could easily hit a downward spiral. And I will NOT let that happen. I’ll just have to have a little… talk… with him.

I walk up to the couple. “MC! Sayori! You two are holding hands! Does that mean…?”

Sayori beams and nods. “Yes! I asked MC out yesterday and he said yes! Isn’t it exciting?” MC smiles fondly at Sayori. He truly does look in love. But still, just in case…

“Yes, quite! I’m very happy for both of you!” I beam back at Sayori, taking her into a tight hug, before turning to hug MC as well. Pulling away, I turn back to Sayori. “Is it okay if I borrow MC a moment?” I ask. “Today marks a whole month since he joined the club. I just want to go over some new member type club stuff with him. Just checking in to see what he thinks of his time here so far, and all that.”

Sayori nods again. “Sure! Have fun, guys!” she said with a wide smile. Her gaze… I’ve never seen Sayori so happy.

MC smiles back at her, then turns to me and says, “Alright, cool. Do you wanna talk here, or…?”

I nod in the direction of the classroom door. “Let’s talk outside, okay? I wouldn’t want to distract anyone from their reading, you know?” Together, we walk out of the classroom into the hallway.

I take a deep breath. I haven’t done this particular trick in ages, and never once before have I done it with good intentions. But I brace myself regardless, and start speaking to MC. “So, has the club been a good experience for—“ I start, before I trigger the glitch.

I’ve used this technique before in other playthroughs of the game, splitting someone’s subconscious from their body. While on the surface, the other person’s mind would be talking to me about some inane thing, I would bring their subconscious directly in contact with the game’s code and speak to it directly, influencing their behavior without them remembering it. In the past, I had used this method to encourage Sayori into suicide, and to amplify Yuri’s obsessive traits. But now… I’m doing it to help my friends. Maybe it’s still morally wrong, but I don’t care. I’m doing this to protect Sayori, to right the mistakes of my past.

“ **Listen closely, worm,** ” I say angrily. I don’t feel any need to temper myself or hold back aggression. I might not actually be angry at MC right now, but the aggression would reinforce his positive behavior with subconscious fear, and that’s what I want. “ **I am the ruler of this world, I control this world. I am the queen here. Do you understand me? And I am the protector of these girls. No harm will come to them under my watch.”** I trigger another glitch sequence, distorting the image of myself that MC’s subconscious was seeing, to make it more horrific. “ **If you EVER hurt Sayori. If you EVER break her heart, or make her cry. I swear in the name of Dan fucking Salvato, if you make Sayori cry, I will PERSONALLY delete your miserable, pathetic existence so fucking hard that a programmer could spend DECADES trying to piece your fragile little character back together. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! So, treat her right, and we won’t have to have this little talk again.”**

As I deactivate the glitch, I hear MC finishing his sentence. “—and overall, I’m just really glad that Sayori brought me here, because hanging out with you guys every day has been wonderful, not to mention it’s given me my own interest in literature!”

I nod and reply, “I’m glad to hear that. I hope your interest in literature continues to grow, and I’m glad that I and the others could provide you with a safe place to develop that interest.”

MC’s face looks vaguely unsettled but mostly fine. As if he’d had a sudden rush of fear without understanding why. _Good,_ _that means it worked._

“Y-yeah,” he mumbles. As if shaking off the fear, he continues, “I’m glad we could have this talk, Monika. I want to help the club succeed any way I can!”

“Of course! And thanks very much for that!” I grin at him, adopting my trademark pose of tilting slightly at the waist. I hope my cute act puts him slightly more at ease, now that I’m finished influencing him with fear.

 I open the classroom door again and stride inside, sitting down and pretending to work on a poem as I watch MC walk back over to Sayori. I see him kiss her slightly on the top of the head, before sitting down next to her again and animatedly chatting. I breathe a sigh of relief. He certainly does seem to care for and love her very much. Maybe I didn’t have to worry so much after all.


	3. Helping Yuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Sayori's point of view.

I’m so excited! Another day at my favorite place, the Literature Club. I walk in, holding hands with MC, and shout, “Hey everyone!!”

Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki are here already, sitting together and talking. As I speak up, they all turn and smile at us. My friends… I’m so happy to have them. I don’t know what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life.

Yuri stands up and walks over to us. “Hello, Sayori!” she says with a smile. Yuri and I have gotten a lot closer over the past few weeks. After I admitted to everyone that I’ve been dealing with depression, she reached out to me. She said she’s dealt with some mental health stuff in the past too, and that she’s here for me if I ever need a friend. And that’s brought us closer together! Kinda like how Natsuki and MC have gotten to be best friends.

“Hey, Yuri! What’s up?” I ask with a grin.

She looks like she wants to say something, but she keeps glancing at MC. I take the hint, and turn to MC. “Hey, MC, can you give Yuri and me a minute alone? I bet Natsuki and Monika would love to hang out with you for a bit!”

Yuri turns her face away, blushing, and MC chuckles. “Sayori, you’re so blunt,” he says. He kisses the top of my head softly before walking off to join the others.

Did I word that badly, or make MC feel unwelcome…? Oh gosh, I’m such a bad person—NO! I’ve got to stop thinking like that… Anyway…

“I’m sorry about being weird about that, Yuri. But let’s go over here, mmk?” I ask with a smile, leading over to the corner of the room.

Yuri apprehensively follows me, while saying, “No need to apologize, Sayori. I understand, sometimes I speak before thinking too, I know what it’s like for things to come out wrong. It doesn’t make you a bad person, though, I promise!”

My smile grows a little bigger at Yuri’s words. “Thanks, Yuri. You always know just what to say to make me feel better.” The two of us sit down against the wall. “So what’s up?”

Yuri hesitates before muttering, “It’s about… what we talked about the other day.”

Oh yeah! The other day, Yuri pulled me aside kinda like this, and told me that she’s bisexual! I was really glad she trusted me enough to come out to me, and I told her that I’d support her no matter what.

“The other day? Umm, is everything okay? Did your parents find out?” I ask. Yuri mentioned last time that she was really scared of her parents finding out. I have no idea why; her parents are the sweetest! I met them once a few months ago, at a school event that happened before MC joined the club. But I can’t really blame her for being anxious; it’s not her fault, any more than it’s my fault that I’m depressed.

“No, no, it’s not that,” she says. “No, I wanted to ask you…” She looks over at the three others, like she’s making sure no one’s listening. “Well… you know how Natsuki came out to us all as lesbian a week or so ago?”

I gasp. I know exactly where this is going. “Oh my gosh, you have a crush on her, don’t you, Yuri?” I ask with a grin. Yuri blushes and turns her face away, like she always does when she doesn’t want to admit something. “Hey, Yuri, it’s okay, you don’t have to say it,” I reassure her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Yuri and Natsuki would be so cute together! Honestly, they’ve been spending so much time together the past couple of weeks, I half expected them to announce that they were dating any day now.

“Well… I wanted to ask, do you think I’d have a chance with her at all?” Yuri mumbles, embarrassed.

I have to stifle a giggle. I have NO IDEA how Yuri hasn’t noticed the fact that Natsuki is completely crushing on her. Everything that Natsuki does seems to be done with the intention of impressing Yuri, and honestly it’s adorable. She’s been trying to write deeper, more metaphorical poetry since that poem about the beach she wrote during the week MC joined, and she’s been spending practically all her time with Yuri ever since she came out. But again, Yuri doesn’t tend to pick up on things like that, and it would be mean to laugh at her for it. After all, MC’s the exact same way. He completely missed every sign I dropped him about the fact that I liked him until I literally kissed him. So maybe she just needs some encouragement.

I grin widely and say, “Yeah! You should totally ask her out! Oh my goodness, you two would be so cute together! And I really think she likes you too!”

Yuri seemed startled. “Natsuki… seems like she likes me too? There’s no way that could be possible… She’s so lovely, and sweet, and caring. Why would she want to be with someone like me?”

I roll my eyes playfully. Yuri’s always so down on herself. I mean, I’m the same way sometimes, so I guess I understand, but… Yuri’s so beautiful and smart! She has no reason to be pessimistic. “And why not?” I ask.

“Well… she always says my writing is too complicated, and she used to always start arguments with me. She always used to seem like she hated me or something. And even now that we’re becoming better friends, she seems like she’s only around me because she’s afraid of…” Yuri looks at me apprehensively before she continues, “…afraid of other people in her life hiding their pain from her. She always asks me how I’m feeling, and lets me know she supports me no matter what. But what if I’m just a burden to her, even as a friend?”

I nod, understanding. “Mmmmmmm…” I think of how to explain this to Yuri. “Yuri… You know me, I love poetry that expresses feelings. And I’ve gotten to know a lot about Natsuki from the feelings she lets out in her poems.” I take a deep breath. “She has a lot of trouble expressing her feelings, you know? Kinda like both of us do! So… when she feels something, she hides it behind a bunch of anger. So when she’s feeling… intimidated, or belittled, she responds by starting fights. And your writing is so sophisticated and intellectual, and she writes in a totally different style. I used to always say her poems were cute, and she’d get mad at me. So I think she feels like people see her as childish. She wants to impress you, in a way, and she felt intimidated by the way you’d talk about her writing sometimes, when you were really just trying to help. And so she’d start fights with you over writing, you know?

“And the other thing… I think that’s your anxiety talking. Natsuki never once seemed insincere to me when she talks to me about that kind of stuff. And she seems really happy spending time with you! I think she reeeeally cares about you an awful lot, Yuri,” I finish, grinning.

Yuri sits still, wearing her intense expression, the same one she has when she’s reading. I can tell she’s lost in thought. Finally, she nods and stands up. “I… I’ll try to remember what you’ve said, Sayori. Thank you…”

“Of course!” I say with a grin, and we return to the others.

I’m really glad that I can be helpful to my friends. It reminds me that I mean something, that I’m not just some anchor, weighing everyone else down. If something I do can put a smile on Yuri’s face, or MC’s, or anyone else’s, then that means I’m doing good for the world! And if I could help Yuri and Natsuki be even happier together? That’d be the best thing ever!


	4. An Awkward Interruption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Natsuki's point of view.

Wow… this manga is so good! I never thought I’d be into some of this action-y fantasy stuff MC likes, but he suggested a manga for me to read, and I figured it would be rude to refuse to read it. But I really like the direction the plot’s taking! And the action sequences are pretty cool, I guess. I suppose there’s more value to this type of manga than I’d thought. MC probably felt the same way when I made him read Parfait Girls…

 “N-Natsuki?” a voice mumbles.

“Yeah?” I ask without looking up; I think it’s Yuri talking. I’d look up, but I’m right in the middle of a really cool fight scene…

The person sits down next to me. Out of the corner of my eye I see that it definitely is Yuri. “I wanted to ask you… umm… uhh…”

I look at her from the corner of my eye. She looks really embarrassed and flustered, like she’s trying to work up the courage for something. After a moment, she simply blushes, turns her face away, and mutters, “I wanted to ask how your manga’s going!”

I turn to look at her. She’s never seemed that weird about asking about my manga. I mean, we’ve been reading manga together mostly every other day lately anyway. So it’s obvious that she’s over here for something else. And why is she blushing…? “Yuri…” I mutter.

I might be _hoping_ that she approached me for a certain reason, but I doubt that was why she did. I mean… Why would she like me? Sure, I’ve been dropping hints for a while that I really like her, but I don’t think she’s picked up on any of them. She certainly doesn’t seem to react when I drop hints. And I can’t possibly work up the nerve to confess to her. It’d just be embarrassing when she rejected me, and everyone would just laugh at me. I’m used to people laughing at me whenever I express any feelings. Plus, after she rejected me, the club would be awkward, and I don’t want to deal with that, or put Monika and Sayori through the struggle of trying to lead a club with that kind of tension. So… if she’s not here for that kind of thing, then… what is she here for?

Yuri looks like she’s going to say something else, when Sayori’s voice rings out.

“Yuriiii, Natsukiiiii! Hey girls!!! You wanna hang out after the club meeting?!” Sayori shouts, standing in front of us with an oblivious wide grin on her face.

“Sayori… Ordinarily I’d love to, and I don’t mean to be rude, but I was in the middle of speaking to Natsuki about something…” Yuri says softly. It wasn’t anything important, no need to be rude to Sayori… Unless…

Sayori gasps. “Oh!! Yuri! You were finally gonna ask her out!! Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry for interrupting, I’ll go talk to MC now, GOSH I’M SO SORRY, good luck Yuri!!!” she shouts before scampering off across the clubroom to sit next to MC.

Ah, Sayori, always so silly. Yuri couldn’t possibly be over here to ask me out. It’s just a running joke between MC, Sayori, and Monika that we’re going to get together sooner or later. Which is silly. Right?

Yuri buries her face in her hands. “Oh my god, oh my god, what do I do… this is so embarrassing… uuuuu, I’m sorry Natsuki! Just forget about this conversation!” she says, before standing up and starting to walk away.

“W-wait!!” I say softly. Yuri stops in her tracks and turns around. She… she seems really embarrassed by what Sayori said. Could it be? I have to try to put myself out there, or else I’ll regret it forever.

I take a deep breath, working up my courage. “Sayori was right, wasn’t she?” I ask.

Yuri blushes brightly but says nothing. I recognize her expression… she doesn’t want to admit it, but Sayori _was_ right. I struggle to contain my emotions. I can’t let myself get too excited. I could accidentally ruin it and make her not like me. It wouldn’t be the first time, I suppose…

So instead, I have to put on my confident face, and act like I’m in control here. That way, if I do push her away, I can at least leave with my dignity. Finally, I say, “I thought so. Listen… I… I like you too, okay? There, I said it. So I’ll… I’ll go out with you.” I cross my arms and blush as well, trying not to make eye contact with Yuri.

Yuri gasps softly. Oh god, I ruined it, didn’t I? She didn’t like me after all, I was wrong, and now I made a stupid mistake and ruined it and—

“Natsuki… I’m sorry for being so awkward about this, but… I’m… really glad you want to be my girlfriend…” Yuri mumbles.

“Don’t call me that so loud!!” I say impulsively, but immediately regret it. I’m too used to being defensive about my feelings. But… she called me her girlfriend. I’ve fought it for a while but now I think I can finally admit it to myself: I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I’m so happy!

I grin widely, before I realize belatedly that I just yelled at Yuri for calling me her girlfriend, when really I’m over the moon about it. “…sorry,” I mutter. “That was just an impulse. But… I’m glad to be your girlfriend too.” I avert my eyes quickly.

Luckily, Yuri seems to understand. She smiles at me sweetly. Honestly, her smile is the cutest. It’s a shame that she smiles so rarely… “It’s okay, Natsuki,” she says quietly.

I finally allow myself to grin without hiding it. This is certainly a new feeling for me, being happy without holding back, but the closeness that Yuri and I have built up over the past couple of weeks has really made me feel safe with her.

“Okay, everyone!” Monika says from the front of the room, with terrible timing as usual. “It’s time to share poems!”

* * *

 

We’ve finished sharing poems, so the club meeting is over. I walk over to Yuri. “So... wanna leave together?” I ask shyly. I’m still new to this so I’m kind of awkward about it.

Yuri, however, seems to have not noticed my shyness, and responds with a grin, “Of course!” As we walk towards the door, I find myself reaching to hold her hand without even realizing I’m doing it. She takes my hand in return, and we walk out together. Yuri and I live somewhat close together, so I walk her back to her house since it’s not too far out of my way.

Outside her house, we stand together for a moment, chatting. “So…” Yuri asks. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the club?”

“No, dummy, you’ll see me tomorrow morning when I come pick you up and walk you to school,” I say with a grin. When it’s just the two of us, I have a bit of an easier time being open with her.

She giggles quietly. “Well, okay then. But text me when you get home, okay?”

“Of course I will!” I say with a grin. I stand awkwardly, not knowing what else to say, when Yuri suddenly wraps me in her arms.

“See you tomorrow morning then, dear,” she says softly into my ear. I feel myself blushing as I hug Yuri back.

As I walk home, I notice a vibration from my phone. A text from MC… I open it.

[I saw u and Yuri holding hands when u left. Finally! Tell me EVERYTHING :D]

Rolling my eyes and smiling, I begin typing out a short summary of what happened.


	5. Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't from a first-person POV; I've already written some of these stories before I started this particular work, so I'm not going to change the POV of the ones that I already wrote. I considered doing so, but it just felt clunky and not really anything like my writing style, so I decided to leave them as-is. This chapter is about Natsuki and Yuri, on a date after they've been dating for a while.

**Mine**

Natsuki held the door open for Yuri. “I’m so exciteddd~” she said softly. She would’ve shouted, but that would be rude; after all, this was a bookstore they were going to! Natsuki was overjoyed; she and Yuri were finally going to pick each other out something to read. Yuri had been reading Parfait Girls with Natsuki for a while, but she didn’t really seem all that into it. Natsuki wanted to find Yuri a manga that was closer to her preferred style of literature, and she had just the right manga in mind to get Yuri into it.

Yuri smiled gently at Natsuki’s happy face, and walked in through the door. She took a deep breath and her smile grew. She loved the bookstore! It was one of her favorite places to visit. The smell of new books permeating through the air always made her day. And now that she was here with her girlfriend, it made it feel so much better.

“Let’s go to the manga section first, Natsuki. I’m excited to see what you’ve decided to suggest for me,” Yuri said.

Natsuki, a wide grin on her face, pulled Yuri toward the manga section of the store. As they approached, Natsuki noticed a boy with bright red hair perusing a nearby shelf. Ignoring him, she tried to continue on, but Yuri had stopped in her tracks.

“Yuri? What’s wrong?” Natsuki asked.

“I-I changed my mind,” Yuri whispered. “I don’t want to look at manga yet, let’s go look for a good novel instead. Or really anything else, it doesn’t matter much…”

Natsuki gazed anxiously at Yuri. “Is everything okay?…” Following the direction of Yuri’s eyes, Natsuki saw the boy again. “Do you know him?”

Yuri hesitated before nodding. “His name is Derek. He’s… he’s an ex-boyfriend of mine. We dated for a couple of months last year. He… he broke up with me because I was too… ‘intense,’ as he put it…”

Natsuki nodded, understanding. “Okay, let’s go somewhere else then–”

“Yuri? Is that you?” Apparently, the boy had noticed them. “Hey! It’s nice to see you again!” He walked up to the two of them.

Natsuki instantly grabbed Yuri’s hand, almost instinctively. “H-hi, Derek…” Yuri mumbled.

“Who’s your friend?” he asked, a friendly smile on his face.

Before she could speak, Natsuki looked directly at him and said coldly, “I’m her girlfriend, Natsuki.”

“R-right, well it’s nice to meet you, Natsuki…” Derek said apprehensively. “Yuri, I’m surprised to see you in this section of the store. You never wanted to read any manga when we were together. Maybe you’re a changed woman after all,” he said with a wink.

Yuri blushed slightly. “Yes, I… Natsuki brought me here…”

“That’s right,” Natsuki said, staring daggers at Derek. “Yuri wanted to read a manga so that she and I could share interests. Probably because when you love someone, you respect the things that make them unique,” she said pointedly.

Derek, visibly uncomfortable, started to back away. “I-I see… well, again, it’s nice to see you, Yuri…”

As he turned away, Natsuki wrapped one of her arms around Yuri’s side and held her close.

“Natsuki, that was… kind of rude…” Yuri muttered.

“So? He didn’t deserve politeness after how he treated you,” Natsuki said angrily. “Besides, I had to show him you’re mine now. He was totally trying to flirt with you even after I said I was your girlfriend.”

Yuri wanted to be exasperated at Natsuki’s rudeness, but… instead, she just found herself blushing and grinning.  _Mine,_ Natsuki had said. She loved the idea of Natsuki acting possessive and protective of her, to be entirely honest. “Yes… I suppose you’re right,” she said, smiling. “I am yours, after all.” She leaned down and softly kissed Natsuki on the lips.

Wrapping both arms around Yuri’s neck, Natsuki kissed back lovingly. She found herself wishing Derek was still watching.  _This would show him that Yuri’s mine now, and that he needs to back off,_ she thought to herself, smirking against Yuri’s lips.

“Now! Now that that creep’s gone, let’s go get you a manga,” Natsuki said, grinning widely.


	6. From Under the Cork Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Natsuki's point of view.

I knock on the door to Yuri’s house. Her mom answers the door.

“Oh, hello dear,” she says sweetly, smiling down at me.

Yuri’s parents are always incredibly welcoming and kind to me. Sure, Yuri hasn’t come out as bi yet to her parents, and they DEFINITELY don’t have any idea that she and I are dating, but… I can’t imagine they’ll react badly when they do find out, seeing how kind and gentle they always are. In fact, I bet when Yuri does come out, they’ll probably tell me I’m part of the family or something. But of course, Yuri’s anxiety prevents her from coming out. Every time she thinks about it, she gets all panicked and overthinks it. I’d never pressure her, but… I don’t know, sometimes I wish we didn’t have to be so secretive about our relationship.

“Yuri’s up in her room waiting for you,” her mom continued. “I hope you two have a good time hanging out!” I smile as I step inside. Honestly, I think Yuri’s mom is just glad that someone’s spending time with Yuri; she’s always been so shy and antisocial, so her mom’s probably glad I’m in her life.

I walk up the stairs to Yuri’s room. We’ve been having dates like this for a while, just little introverted cuddling and reading sessions in her room. We’re never alone for long enough to get really intimate, but we can sometimes sneak in an occasional make-out session.

Anyway, after Yuri promised me she’d read a manga, and I told her I’d read a novel too, we each found each other something to read at the bookstore. I got Yuri into this gory supernatural drama manga I saw called Tokyo Ghoul, and she recommended this cutesy young adult series to me called The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. It seems a bit childish, but honestly the plot isn’t bad or anything. I guess I’ll stick with it ‘til I finish the series. But after that, I’ve got to find something less childish.

I open the door to Yuri’s room without even knocking, and see her laying on her bed reading, her beige sweater and black pants contouring perfectly to her amazing body. God, she’s hot… Mmm… No, can’t get sidetracked! I’m here to read!

 “Hey Yuri!” I say softly, closing the door behind me and plopping down onto the bed next to her.

She smiles and sits up, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “Good to see you, love,” she says smoothly. Her rich soft voice, like velvet, always makes me want to melt. I guess that’s why I used to be so mean to her; she made me feel things I wasn’t comfortable expressing yet, so I just put my walls up. But now, I trust her a lot more, and everything just… feels better.

“So… do you want to get reading?” she asks, a smile dawning on her face.

“Yes!” I say enthusiastically. But first, I reach into my bag and pull out a Bluetooth speaker. I found out recently that listening to music while I read makes for a really encompassing and great experience, so I want to try that with Yuri. “But is it okay if I play some music while we read? This really cool band I found just recently released a new album!”

Yuri looks hesitant. I know she doesn’t really like my usual music taste. I like a lot of pop music, and she’s always been more of a fan of hard rock and punk types of stuff. You know, emo kid stuff. Eventually, though, she looks like she’s decided it doesn’t matter, and nods, saying, “Whatever you want, sweetie.”

I smile back at her, and connect my phone to the speaker. I scroll through my music, and select the album “Mania” by Fall Out Boy, pressing play.

Yuri’s face seems to light up with recognition. “Natsuki, is this the new Fall Out Boy album?” she asks.

I’m surprised, to be honest. I know Fall Out Boy has a lot of older music, but I never knew it’d be the kind of thing Yuri would listen to.

“Yeah,” I say, nodding, “I’ve kinda been into their last couple albums. Why, Yuri? Do you know them?”

I recognize the look on Yuri’s face. She looks like she’s trying to contain her excitement. Honestly, it’s adorable. I know that music means a lot to her, so having some of that in common feels great, for me as well as her. “Y-yes I do!” she says happily. “I’ve quite enjoyed their music for a long time.”

“Ahh. I’ve never really listened to their older music…” I mumble. But wait… maybe I can get Yuri to show me their older music? That way, she can show me something she’s excited about, and I get to see her cute excited face more! “Hey, umm…” I say, trying to come off shy; I know just how to push her buttons, and I know she thinks I’m adorable when I act like this. “You don’t have to or anything, but… maybe you could… show me some of their older music, or something?”

Yuri looks like she’s relaxing a bit; she must have been waiting for me to ask. She looks really happy already! “O-of course! I’ve actually got some of their old albums over here…” She reaches to a shelf of CD cases beside her bed and pulls out one that says “From Under the Cork Tree” on it. Standing up, she walks across the room and places it in her stereo.

Coming back to bed, she opens her arms and softly says, “Now, come here, darling.” Without hesitation, I snuggle up against her chest and we each grab our respective books and begin reading together.

* * *

 

Oh wow, is it this late already? I better get home soon… “Dad’s gonna be home soon, and he’ll be mad if I’m not there…” I say to Yuri.

She looks concerned. I really don’t want to worry her with my troubles with my dad… I mean, he’s fine most of the time, so… she shouldn’t have to be burdened with that. She doesn’t ever press me though, and I appreciate her for that so much. “Well that’s okay, love,” she says. “I hope you had a good time reading today! Text me when you arrive home, okay?” she asked.

I nod, smiling. “Of course! Bye, babe,” I say, giggling as I kiss Yuri softly. I linger for a moment, savoring the feeling of her lips against mine, before I walk out.

As I walk home, I can’t contain my happiness. We had such a good time today! The memories keep my heart filled with joy. I can’t even bring myself to be afraid of Dad’s reaction to me being home late. I find myself singing softly as I walk. “We’re goin’ down, down, in an earlier round / And sugar we’re goin’ down swinging…”


	7. Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in third-person narration and focuses on Sayori and MC.

MC and Sayori sat together in her room. He lounged against her giant stuffed cow plushie, while she laid on the bed. The past couple of weeks, they’d spent lots of time like this, just sitting together, silent but enjoying each other’s company.

“Hey, MC?” Sayori said softly.

“Yeah? What is it?” he responded.

“Umm… I’ve had something on my mind lately and it’s been kinda worrying me, and I wanted to talk to you about it.” She sat up and turned to face MC.

“I… I’ve been depressed my whole life, you know? And… everything about my personality is just this wall of sunshine and rainbows that I’ve built up to keep people from worrying about me. But…” She turned her face down, as if afraid of what she was about to say.

“Beyond that, I don’t really know who I am. I’ve never really known what I’m like outside of my depression. I don’t know what I’m interested in, or what I like doing, because being depressed makes me not like anything, you know? Even like when you first joined the club, and you asked me what kind of writing I like, and I said I didn’t know. I’m just… I’m afraid that I don’t even really have a personality, MC… You probably think that’s silly…” Sayori’s eyes started to water slightly.

MC hesitated a moment. Before, he’d have blurted out some sort of vague platitude, but lately he’d been working a lot harder on considering his words and considering how Sayori might be feeling.

Choosing his words carefully, he said, “Sayori, sweetheart… I can understand why you might feel that way. It’s tough, you know? But hey.” He stood up, and sat next to her on the bed, wrapping one arm around her and smiling at her. “I know some things about your personality. Like… you care so much about making everyone happy. That’s not just depression talking, because some depressed people are way more selfish than that. That’s a part of you. And… other things will come with time, you know? We’re still young. You’ve got plenty of years to figure out what you like and what you’re interested in. And you know what else?”

Wiping away the beginnings of the tears she’d had, Sayori sniffled and looked up at MC. “What’s that?”

MC kissed the top of her head softly, and said, “I’ll be here with you 100% of the way. Whatever you find yourself into, whoever you end up becoming, I’ll always be there to support you with all of my heart.”

Sayori felt herself smiling genuinely, something that was rare for her, but growing more and more frequent as time passed. “I love you, MC,” she said, burying her face in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I love you too, Sayori. No matter what.” MC wrapped his arms around her tightly in return, slowly running his fingers through her hair.

Suddenly, Sayori tilted her head up, pushing her body against MC’s, and kissed him lightly on the lips. She lingered for a moment before pulling away and jumping back, a big smile on her face. She was blushing furiously as she said happily, “Yay! I did it! Ehehe~”

MC was stunned into silence. That had been… the second time they’d ever kissed. They’d been together for a couple weeks now, but that was the first time they’d kissed since the day they started dating. Slowly, as if coming to the realization, he himself blushed. They sat, both blushing and watching each other.

After a few moments, Sayori’s face lit up as if she’d suddenly remembered something, and she burst into laughter.

“What is it?” MC asked.

Sayori, struggling to speak through giggles, said softly, “You owe me $10!”

“What?” MC asked. He was incredibly confused.

Sayori put on a fake angry face. “Don’t play dumb with me, mister! You don’t remember? When we were 8 years old, I remember one day I said I was gonna kiss you eventually. And you said, ‘What? No way! I’ll bet you $10 that that never happens!’ So there! Pay up, silly!” She stuck her tongue out at him.

MC laughed. He vaguely remembered the conversation, but he hadn’t expected her to remember. He decided to play along with the joke. “Awww… but I didn’t bring my wallet! I don’t have $10 to give you! Unless… would you accept another kiss as payment?” he said with a smirk on his face.

“Hmm… I’m feeling generous today, so yes, I’ll let you off the hook with that,” Sayori said coyly.

She wrapped her arms against MC again, sliding up close to him. She kissed him again, this time more slowly and softly. This time, since he knew it was coming and had time to react, MC kissed back, pulling Sayori’s body tightly against his own. She slowly ran her hands up his back and into his hair, holding his head against hers.

Slowly, Sayori pulled back, and looked into MC’s brown eyes. “I think I miiight have found something to do that interests me,” she said playfully.

Suddenly, MC’s phone rang, breaking the tension of the moment. He picked it up and looked at the screen, reading a text. “Aww, I gotta go, Mom wants me home soon,” he said.

“Okay, well… I’ll see you at school tomorrow!” Sayori said, trying to mask her disappointment. This time they spent together had quickly become something she looked forward to more than anything else.

MC said, “Don’t sound so disappointed, love. We’ll have plenty more time for kisses, okay?” He stood up with a smile. “Will you walk me out?”

“Sure thing!” Sayori practically leapt to her feet, and together the exited her house.

On the sidewalk in front of the house, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her for one last kiss. “I love you, MC,” she whispered in his ear. “Thank you for spending time with me today.”

MC pulled back and gazed into Sayori’s deep, ocean blue eyes. “Of course, Sayori. I love you too, darling,” he responded softly. He didn’t want to leave, especially not now. But he knew that his mother would be upset if he wasn’t home for dinner. “I’ll text you when I get home okay?”

“MC, you literally live next door, silly!” Sayori said, giggling. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t text me, of course. Ehehe!” She smiled as she watched him walk away, waving as he did. “Byeee!!” she yelled.

Smiling, she walked back into the house. Climbing the stairs, she re-entered her room. She sat down at her desk and pulled out a pen and paper. With a smile on her face, and the memory of MC’s lips on hers, she began writing a new poem.


	8. Double Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's in third-person narration and focuses on every character except Monika! Thank you to a user under the name (+^°^) for this prompt!

MC checked his hair and outfit in the reflection of his mirror. He was sporting a fresh shave, as well as a nice polo shirt and blue jeans, and his hair was combed more thoroughly than usual. _Lookin’ good, MC_ , he thought to himself, smirking and making a finger-guns pose at his reflection. Sure, this was just going to be a casual double date with friends, but he still wanted to impress Sayori. The smile on her face when he went all-out for her was one of his favorite sights in the world!

He checked his phone to see he had missed a text from Natsuki. Opening the message, he saw that she had sent him a photo of her outfit, with the caption, [Hey do u think Yuri will be impressed by my outfit? ^_^]. The outfit was composed of a pink t-shirt with the characters from Parfait Girls depicted on it, alongside a black frilly skirt with black and white striped leggings beneath. Natsuki always tried to dress as cute as possible, and Yuri always loved it. Besides, the outfit did look fantastic. MC responded, [Yeah looks good! But Yuri would luv it no matter what u wore, u could show up in a giant Big Bird costume and she’d fawn over u]. It’s not wrong, technically; Yuri seemed to constantly be enchanted and enthralled by anything Natsuki did. The two were so in love, it was incredibly endearing.

Another incoming text, this time from Sayori. [Im ready! U can come pick me up whenever! :3] Standing up and slipping his phone into his pocket, MC went down the stairs and departed his house, headed towards Sayori’s.

Arriving at Sayori’s house, he walked inside without knocking; her parents weren’t home, and she was expecting him, so he didn’t think it was a big deal. Walking up the stairs, he arrived at her room and knocked on her room’s door. Suddenly, he was hit with a sense of déjà vu and slight foreboding. It was almost like he’d done this before and it turned out badly—

His train of thought was disrupted as Sayori opened the door, a wide grin on her face. MC practically gasped: she looked amazing! She wore her typical red bow in her coral-colored hair, as well as a stunningly cute pale blue sundress that really made the color of her eyes pop. “Wow,” he muttered, dumbstruck. Now he felt like he’d underperformed with his outfit…

Beaming, Sayori did a slight spin in place. “Doesn’t it look cute? I went and bought this the other day, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to wear it!”

“Y-yeah, it looks amazing,” MC mumbled. “It really brings out your pretty eyes.” He blushed slightly at that comment.

“Aww, that’s so sweet~” she exclaimed. Stepping out the door, she grabbed MC’s hand and pulled him behind her as she walked towards the stairs. “Come on, silly, we’re gonna be late!” Chuckling, MC followed behind. He’d spent so much effort trying to impress Sayori that he just felt silly now. He felt like he should’ve known that it would be so much more important to her just to ensure that they both had a good time.

* * *

 

Yuri sat in her room, thinking hard. Was she really sure she wanted to go out in just a My Chemical Romance t-shirt? Her scars would be in plain display… Eventually, she chickened out, and added a jacket to her outfit. It wasn’t too hot out today, after all, she reasoned. It wouldn’t be too out-of-place in 60 degree weather, especially since she _always_ wore long sleeved outfits. Examining her red skinny jeans to ensure no lint balls remained on them, she decided her outfit was good enough, and checked her phone to see a text from Natsuki, which read, [I’m about to be there! Excited to see u  <333].

Yuri smiled and typed out a quick reply of [K! Love you! <3], before heading downstairs so she would hear Natsuki’s knock when she arrived. Soon enough, a knock sounded, and Yuri answered the door to see Natsuki. Smiling at her cute outfit, Yuri took Natsuki in a hug and kissed her cheek softly. “Hello, love,” she said sweetly.

“Hey, babe! Let’s go, we’re gonna be late,” Natsuki said with a grin, pulling Yuri by the hand out of the door.” Giggling softly, Yuri followed.

* * *

 

MC and Sayori arrived at the mall. “Here we are!” Sayori said, smirking at MC. “Ready to get your butt kicked just like the old days?”

“We’ll see about that,” MC responded, smiling. The date was set to take place at a mini-golf course at the mall which Sayori and MC had often played at together as children. Sayori had been terrible at mini-golf as a kid, but MC had always let her win. He had claimed it would be because she’d just cry if she lost, but really, even then he had just loved seeing her happy.

MC pulled her over to a bench outside the mini-golf course and said, “Let’s wait here for Natsuki and Yuri, okay?” Sayori nodded and they sat together, holding hands and making small talk. Eventually, MC found himself not really listening, instead simply gazing lovingly at Sayori and wondering how it took him so long to realize how beautiful she was and how much he truly cared for her.

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his reverie by Sayori planting a soft kiss on his lips. “I could tell you weren’t listening, so I kissed you to get your attention,” she said, giggling.

“S-sorry! I was just…” he fumbled for an excuse, before Sayori simply kissed him again. Kissing back this time, he slid closer to her, snuggling on the bench as they continued kissing.

* * *

 

Natsuki and Yuri walked into the mall, holding hands. “So… where is this mini-golf course again?” Yuri asked.

Natsuki pointed in the direction of a lot towards the end of the hall they stood in. “Over there, see?” Together they walked towards the course. As they approached, Natsuki noticed MC and Sayori sitting on a bench outside the course, kissing. The other two didn’t notice them approach until they were practically standing in front of them.

“Get a room, you two!” Natsuki shouted. Startled, Sayori and MC broke their kiss and slid apart. Yuri giggled, as Sayori put her fingertips together in a triangular shape and muttered with a bashful grin, “Sorry… we got a bit distracted…” MC, on the other hand, blushed and mumbled, “L-let’s just go in, guys…”

The group paid to play a round, and Yuri stepped up first. “You can do it!” Natsuki cheered from beside her. Yuri smiled sweetly before turning back to the ball, adopting her intense reading expression and focusing in. Taking a deep breath, she hit the ball, and it rolled almost to the hole. “Aww, you almost had it! If you’d hit just a little harder, you’d have gotten a hole in one! Maybe next time!” Sayori said encouragingly. Yuri tapped the ball again, and marked a 2 on her score card.

Natsuki was next. Grinning widely, she hit the ball without any preemptive focus, and the ball rocketed forward, careening right past the hole. Muttering angrily to herself, Natsuki walked over to the ball and stroked again… and missed again. “You’re doing great!” Yuri said, trying to be encouraging. Natsuki rolled her eyes and hit the ball yet again, finally getting into the hole this time and marking a 3 on her card.

Now it was MC’s turn. He analyzed this hole. There were no slopes or obstacles on this one, just a straight shot. He tapped the ball, and it rolled… rolled… and stopped just short. He had made the same mistake as Yuri! Tapping the ball in, he marked a 2 on his card as well.

Last up was Sayori. MC expected that she wouldn’t do as poorly as Natsuki had, but fully expected her to get the same score that he and Yuri had. “Here I go!” she said, beaming. MC watched her with a loving expression as she stepped up to the ball.

Sayori assumed an intense expression not unlike Yuri’s reading face, and zeroed in on the ball and course. After a moment, she hit the ball, and it rolled straight into the hole!

“I did it!” she shouted in joy, jumping up and down before tackling MC in a massive hug. MC laughed softly as he hugged her back. From behind, he saw Natsuki pull Yuri into a kiss as well. Was Natsuki trying to compete with them in terms of displays of affection?

“We’ll see who’s winning in the end, sunshine,” he said back with a playfully competitive voice.

* * *

 

The game was over, and the results were surprising: Sayori had actually gotten the best score, scoring within either one or two strokes on each hole! Natsuki had come in second; after her rough start, she had eventually started to focus and perform better. MC’s score came in third. He wrote it off as a simple case of being a bit rusty after years of not playing. Yuri was in last place. She’d been doing okay at first, but as she missed strokes, her nerves consistently got worse and worse.

“Mini-golf is such a mundane game anyway,” Yuri muttered haughtily. “B-but I’m still very proud of you for doing so well, Natsuki, dear,” she hastily added upon seeing Natsuki roll her eyes.

“You’re such a sore loser, Yuri, it’s adorable!” Natsuki said with a smirk, leaning up to peck her on the cheek.

Sayori pointed towards the food court. “Hey, they opened up a new ice cream shop! Let’s go check it out!”

Everyone’s eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream, and the group traipsed over to the shop together. A few moments later, Sayori and MC each had an ice cream cone of their own, while Yuri and Natsuki had ordered theirs in a bowl which they could share.

“I kinda feel bad,” Sayori said quietly. “We had so much fun today, but we didn’t invite Monika! She never really gets to participate in our fun times. I just wish we could hang out with her more…”

Natsuki responded, “Don’t feel bad, Sayori. She’d probably have felt like a fifth wheel anyway,” before feeding a spoonful of ice cream to Yuri, who accepted it with a bashful grin. Yuri had originally been somewhat uncomfortable with such public displays of affection, but being with her friends had made her feel a lot more relaxed.

Yuri nodded in agreement with what Natsuki had said. “Monika even mentioned to me the other day that she thought we should do more things as a group without her. She said we always just hang out in the Literature Club, and that we should take in more of this world.”

Sayori still had a small frown. “I get that, but… I don’t know. I guess I just feel bad for her, we’re all in happy relationships, and she always seems so… sad and lonely. Maybe we should all do something with her sometime soon!”

MC smiled at Sayori. She was always so sweet and considerate of others, always looking out for everyone else. That was one of the most endearing things about her. He was glad that lately, she’d seemed better at taking care of herself as well. Of course, it wasn’t like she was all better, but she was making progress, and he was very proud of her. “That’s a wonderful idea, Sayori,” he said, softly kissing her cheek.

Sayori blushed and said, “Well, I’m just trying to look out for my friend…”

Soon enough, they had finished eating their ice cream, and the date was over. “We’ll see you guys at school on Monday!” Sayori said happily, waving goodbye at Natsuki and Yuri. Natsuki waved back, and the two walked away, holding hands.

MC walked Sayori back to her house, the two discussing plans to include Monika in some sort of hangout session in the near future. “Maybe you and the other girls could have a sleepover sometime soon!” MC said.

Sayori looked as if she were contemplating that idea. “Sounds good!” she shouted eventually, beaming.

 Soon enough, they arrived back at Sayori’s house.

“So… MC, my parents still aren’t going to be home for a few hours. Do you wanna maybe… come inside and hang out for a bit?” Sayori said, a sly grin on her face.

MC chuckled and kissed her softly, lingering a moment before whispering against her lips, “I’d love to.”

* * *

 

Natsuki and Yuri walked back to Yuri’s house, still holding hands.

“Hey, Natsuki?” Yuri said softly.

“Yes, dear?” Natsuki responded, smiling sweetly.

“Were… were you trying to compete with MC and Sayori in terms of displays of affection?” Yuri said. “Not that I mind, I was just wondering.”

“Well…” Natsuki looked away, blushing. “Maybe a little bit. I just… I didn’t want you to think that I don’t love you as much as MC loves Sayori, that’s all! And… maybe I was a little jealous of them, too. They’re just… so cute together, and I feel like I always ruin things by being too confrontational, so today I decided to do the opposite. Like when I kissed you in the golf course after each hole, or when I got us a bowl of ice cream to share instead of our own cones…”

Yuri giggled. “Natsuki, you don’t have to worry about that. I think… I think everyone’s relationships are unique, and function differently. Sayori and MC’s love is very much like the two of them; it’s bright and warm, like sunshine. It feels like if you stare at them for too long, you’ll be blinded by the sunlight of their affections.”

Yuri stopped walking, and cupped Natsuki’s face in her hands. “But honey, we don’t have to be exactly like them, you know. Our relationship is somewhat different. We’re more like…” she paused in thought. “Like an excellent book. We look super good together, like an excellent cover art,” she said with another small giggle, “but somewhat subtle, not necessarily ostentatious or showy like MC and Sayori. But when you open the book, you find such a beautiful, deep, and expressive story of romance and affection. The love I feel for you might not be the kind of love that blinds everyone else on sight. But it’s deep, and powerful, and anyone seeing us together could tell that our love is just as good as any other. So… I think it’s more important for us to focus on how much we love and care for each other, rather than optics.”

Natsuki looked back into Yuri’s deep purple eyes and smiled softly. “You’re right, Yuri. I’m sorry for being stupid. You’re so smart. You always help me look at things from a better angle, and you always make me feel better when I’m insecure. I love you so much, Yuri…”

“I love you too, Natsuki, my little cupcake,” Yuri responded without thinking.

“’My little cupcake?’ Really?” Natsuki asked, bursting out laughing.

“I-I’m sorry! That was awkward…” Yuri said, an embarrassed expression on her face.

“No, no… it was cute! I just didn’t expect it. I love it! I wanna be your little cupcake, Yuri,” Natsuki said with a smirk, before standing on her tiptoes and kissing Yuri softly on the lips.

Yuri relaxed then, smiling against Natsuki’s lips as she wrapped her arms around her and kissed back. _Maybe we are as cute as Sayori and MC after all,_ she found herself thinking.


	9. Baking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter centers on Natsuki and Yuri. Content warning: this chapter isn't... lewd, per se, but it does have some suggestive undertones. Also, this chapter does talk to some degree about Yuri and her history with self-harm. Nothing explicit but it's mentioned, so just be wary of that~
> 
> Also! I'm working on the next big installment I wanted to write, the sleepover chapter! This one might take a while to put out though, because I'm working on some big stuff for it, really an emotionally heavy chapter (but in a wholesome way!). So I might be publishing some other assorted stories I have between now and when I finish that story. Just be patient, the good stuff will be here soon :D

Yuri lounged on the couch in the living room, patiently awaiting Natsuki’s arrival. Since they’d started dating, a few months ago, Natsuki had been wanting an opportunity to come over to show Yuri how to bake cupcakes. But she’d always insisted on trying to find a day when Yuri’s parents wouldn’t be home. Natsuki had insisted that it was simply a matter of ensuring that no one would get in their way while baking, but Yuri was practically certain she had ulterior motives. Which was fine by her, to be entirely honest; Yuri was desperate for some more opportunities for herself and Natsuki to exhibit “ulterior motives” together.

Yuri let her mind wander. Her physical relationship with Natsuki had been a relatively recent phenomenon. Yuri was still apprehensive about removing clothes in front of Natsuki, mainly because of the sense of shame she felt about her self-harm scars. Natsuki knew that she’d had a problem with cutting, but she’d never seen the extent of the damage Yuri had done to her body over the past year or so. But that didn’t mean they hadn’t been able to have fun, even fully clothed. Yuri’s mind wandered through the memories of the last couple of times they’d been able to be alone together. She was starting to get lost in daydreams of Natsuki, her passionate kisses, the feeling of her soft hands running through Yuri’s long, purple hair… imagining the feeling of her soft skin against Yuri’s own…

*Ding-dong!*

Yuri was wrenched from her fantasy by the sound of the doorbell. Practically bolting to the door, she opened it to find Natsuki standing there with a bag full of ingredients. “H-hello, love,” Yuri said.

Natsuki smiled at the sight of Yuri’s flushed face and walked in. “Hey babe,” she said softly, winking at Yuri before standing on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek.

Yuri blushed harder, and reached to take Natsuki’s bag. “Gah! This is really heavy!” she exclaimed in surprise. She always seemed to forget how strong Natsuki was until presented with evidence.

“Everyone always seems so surprised that my bag is heavy! MC reacted the same way when I made cupcakes with him for the festival,” Natsuki recalled. “But it’s like I told him, I didn’t want to get all the way here and find out your kitchen wasn’t equipped for the job. Then we wouldn’t have been able to make cupcakes, and we’d have had to find something else to do with our time, and that’d be a shame, wouldn’t it?” Natsuki smirked at Yuri.

Yuri practically melted where she stood. The sight of that mischievous smirk was enough to make her fall in love again every time she saw it. Natsuki always seemed to know just the right buttons to push to get her all flustered, and Yuri loved it.

“Well don’t just stand there, silly,” Natsuki said with a smile, “let’s get to the kitchen!”

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later, the kitchen was surprisingly less messy than Yuri had expected. She supposed it was just her natural tidiness that had forced her to keep everything clean as they’d gone along. Natsuki had rolled her eyes at Yuri’s instincts of cleanliness but had allowed her to proceed. It had been hard work; Natsuki had forgotten her mixer at home, and so they had to manually use whisks for both the batter and the icing. Now, however, they were almost done with the preparation side of the task; the cupcakes were in the oven, and it was time to work on the icing.

“Here, babe, let me help you with that, okay?” Natsuki said sweetly.

Yuri sighed happily. She loved when Natsuki acted dominant or in a caregiving way towards her. Since Yuri spent so much time exercising such tight control over herself, it felt nice to let Natsuki take charge sometimes. And she knew that Natsuki would never betray the trust that Yuri gave her by allowing her to assume control. She knew it must feel nice for Natsuki too; after having control taken from her in every aspect of her life, after being constantly treated like a child due to her short stature, it must feel nice for her to have someone trust her enough to let her take control in certain situations.

Natsuki walked up behind Yuri, wrapping her arms around her before grabbing onto her wrists and gently guiding her on how to properly work on the icing. “It’s like I always say, you’ve got to beat the crap out of it!” Natsuki said cheerfully. She guided Yuri’s hands forcefully, helping Yuri “beat the crap out of” the icing. Yuri could already see the consistency improving. But more than that… she was finding herself slightly distracted by Natsuki’s closeness, and the way that Natsuki’s hands kept reaching close to her chest. “Mmm…” she couldn’t restrain a soft moan at the thought of Natsuki’s touch.

“Hmm? What is it, Yuri?” Natsuki asked, seemingly innocently. But Yuri had heard that tone in Natsuki’s voice often enough that she knew exactly what her intentions were. “That icing looks yummy, doesn’t it?” Natsuki continued.

“O-oh yes, the icing, it looks amazing,” Yuri said, flustered.

“Well, it should be almost done now!” Natsuki said, pulling away from Yuri and walking across the kitchen. “Now we get to do one of my favorite parts!” She picked up the whisk they had used on the batter, and said excitedly, “Licking off the batter!!”

“Isn’t that unhealthy?” Yuri asked. She’d never baked before, but it seemed to her that batter with raw eggs could potentially be dangerous.

“Nah, there’s not enough egg in there to harm you unless you eat a whole bunch,” Natsuki reassured her. “Besides, it’s delicious! See?” Natsuki slowly licked a bit of batter off the side of the whisk. “Mmm… so good…” Suddenly, an idea occurred to Natsuki, and she had to restrain herself from giggling as she turned towards Yuri and continued to lick the whisk.

Yuri watched, transfixed, as Natsuki made eye contact with her and slowly traced her tongue up and down the whisk, working it around to get as much batter as she could. Yuri bit her lip as she watched, trying not to let Natsuki’s teasing affect her, but she felt her face flushing again, and her breathing slightly accelerated.

“What?” Natsuki asked innocently. “Do you want some batter too, honey? What do you want?”

“I want you,” Yuri blurted out without thinking.

Natsuki chuckled softly, victory in her eyes, and put the whisk down on the counter beside the bowl. Yuri could tell this had been exactly what Natsuki wanted. She walked up to Yuri, who was standing against the kitchen wall, and put one hand on the wall on either side of her, pinning her against the wall. “Well, you know I can’t resist giving you what you want…” she mumbled softly. Standing on her tiptoes again, she leaned up and kissed Yuri on the lips, gently at first, then again with more passion. Yuri started to kiss back, slowly running her hands up Natsuki’s sides, when Natsuki quickly pulled back. “Now, now, we can’t get distracted, or else the cupcakes will burn,” Natsuki chided her. “I can’t even let you come between me and my cupcakes!”

Yuri tried to catch her breathing. She was incredibly amused as well as exasperated at how much of a tease Natsuki was being, not to mention how good of a job she was doing at it.

* * *

 

Soon, the cupcakes were done, and they set to decorating them with the icing. Once again, Natsuki had her arms wrapped around Yuri from behind, guiding her hands and helping her apply the icing. Yuri felt the tension in her growing more and more with Natsuki’s closeness, the feel of her warm breath on her back, the way her hands were once again in range of her chest. More than once, Natsuki had “accidentally” touched her, and Yuri had had to literally bite her lip to keep from moaning aloud.

Finally, they were finished. The two took a step back to admire their work.

“Wow, they look great!” Yuri exclaimed.

Natsuki chuckled, a cocky smirk on her face. “I know! You think I’d make cupcakes that were anything less than brilliant?”

Yuri giggled at Natsuki’s expression. So she wanted to play that way, did she? “Oh?” Yuri asked. “And… are you forgetting that it was I who applied the icing? And mixed the icing too?” Yuri was mostly just teasing Natsuki; she knew she could’ve done none of this without her girlfriend’s help.

“Yeah, with my guidance! Don’t get too full of yourself, Yuri,” Natsuki said, turning to face Yuri and winking at her.

God, that fucking wink, Yuri thought. It always was too much for her to resist. “I guess you’re right, Natsuki,” she conceded. “You’re the best, at so many things. Baking… being cocky… kissing…” She winked at Natsuki in return.

Suddenly, Natsuki was the one blushing, trying to contain a massive grin. “Well… you’re not so bad at kissing, yourself…”

“Oh, but you’re so good at everything, Natsuki!” Yuri responded, putting on a playful voice as she implored Natsuki, “I might need you to teach me how to do a better job at kissing…”

Natsuki’s eyes lit up, and Yuri could tell she’d won. “Oh? Well since you asked nicely…” Natsuki smirked. She took Yuri’s hand, pulling her back into the living room. Yuri followed, giggling in anticipation.

Natsuki pulled Yuri down onto the couch with her, kissing her immediately and passionately. Yuri responded with passion, wrapping her arms tightly around Natsuki and pulling her close. Natsuki softly grazed Yuri’s lip with her teeth as she pushed her onto her back, climbing on top of her and holding her wrists down.

Yuri’s body tensed up slightly. She certainly didn’t mind Natsuki pinning her down like this, in fact she absolutely loved it, but… she was afraid of Natsuki accidentaly pulling back her sleeve and seeing the extent of her scars.

Natsuki immediately stopped and sat up. “Yuri? Is everything okay?” she asked, a concerned look on her face. “Was I being too rough?… God, I’m so pushy sometimes, I’m sorry…”

Yuri sat up and cupped Natsuki’s face in her hands. “No, darling,” Yuri said softly. “You were perfect. It’s just… me. It’s my anxiety about my scars… I just didn’t want you to see them…”

Natsuki looked back into Yuri’s soft, purple eyes. Natsuki looked to be getting flustered now, as she usually did when she had to express her feelings. “…Yuri. You know that I still think you’re beautiful regardless, no matter what. No matter how bad your scars are. So… you don’t have to be ashamed of them with me, stupid.” She smiled softly. “But, I know it’s not that easy for you. So… it’s okay. We can stop. Thank you, for… for trusting me enough to tell me what was wrong.”

Yuri took in what Natsuki had said.  _No matter how bad your scars are.._. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitating for a moment before softly saying, “No, we… we don’t have to stop. I… I was being stupid, and I trust you no matter what. So…” Yuri took a deep breath, and slowly rolled up the sleeves of her sweater to show Natsuki her arms.

Natsuki sat silently as she looked at Yuri’s arms. Yuri softly said, “So, there… I’m… I’m sure it’s worse than you thought… it’s okay if you think I’m too messed up–” Her sentence was cut off by Natsuki’s lips meeting hers in another kiss, softer and more loving this time.

“I don’t care, Yuri,” Natsuki softly whispered against her lips. “I’m glad you’ve quit now, and I don’t care how bad it was. You’re still the most beautiful sight in this world.” Gently, Natsuki pushed Yuri onto her back again. Climbing on top, Natsuki moved to Yuri’s forearm, kissing each scar softly as she traced her way up. Upon reaching the point to which Yuri had rolled up her sleeve, Natsuki moved and kissed Yuri’s neck softly, before pinning her wrists down on the couch again.

Yuri allowed herself to moan now, loving the feeling of Natsuki’s body pressed against hers, her lips against her neck. Natsuki had somehow managed to assuage all of Yuri’s fears and shame about her scars, and now she just felt closer to her.

Pulling back, Natsuki assumed a fake sarcastic voice and said with a smirk, “So now that that’s over, are we gonna make out or what?”

Instead of speaking, Yuri reached her face up to Natsuki’s, kissing her again, deeper this time, their tongues sliding, caressing each other. Natsuki leaned back down and released Yuri’s wrists, tangling her hands into her long purple hair, and Yuri pulled Natsuki down closer to her as they kissed. Yuri felt herself smiling against Natsuki’s lips, feeling more at home than she ever had with Natsuki’s body held tightly against her, and felt herself wondering,  _is this what heaven feels like?_


	10. Honesty and Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot to write! A very emotional chapter, I hope y'all enjoy it <3

Monika sat in the clubroom, working on a new poem. She had the vague idea of a topic in her head, but she was working on how she wanted to arrange and composing the formatting. Ever since the world and the others had started to feel more real again, the rest of the club had all been spending time with each other and hardly any with her. So she wanted to write about the bittersweet combination of loneliness and happiness that they’d all found each other. She chuckled to herself and thought, _Wow,_ _I sound like Sayori…_ Maybe trying to emulate Sayori’s emotion-focused and semi-simplistic style might serve her better than the abstract methodology she typically used?

“Monika?” a voice sounded.

Startled, Monika looked up to see Sayori in front of her. Interesting that just when she was thinking about Sayori, she appeared. “Oh, hi, Sayori! Sorry for being distracted. I was working on a new poem!” she said with a smile. “What do you need?”

Sayori looked at her with a gentle smile. “I don’t _need_ anything, silly! I just wanted to spend some time with you today!”

Monika felt a small pang of guilt, as she always did when Sayori was friendly towards her. She still couldn’t fully let go of her shame over how she had hurt Sayori before. “B-but… wouldn’t you rather hang out with MC? Or Yuri? I know you two have gotten a lot closer lately…”

Now Sayori’s face started to look concerned. “Monika… you’re starting to sound kinda like me. I don’t want you to be lonely, you know? You’re my friend! Of course I want to spend time with you!”

Monika took a deep breath and nodded softly. Of all people, Sayori would understand the need for support, even if you don’t always feel like you deserve it. “Well, okay,” she muttered. “I’m actually working on a poem right now, and I was thinking about trying to emulate your style, it’s really been intriguing me lately!”

At that, Sayori’s eyes lit up, and the two began chatting animatedly about writing styles. After a while, Monika noticed that around thirty minutes had passed, and announced to the class that it was time to share poetry.

* * *

 

After the meeting was over, Monika began to pack up her things as everyone else filed out. She watched as Natsuki and Yuri walked out, holding hands. But Sayori was saying something quietly to MC. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, and then he walked out without her. Sayori came up to Monika then.

“Hello, Sayori! What’s up?” Monika asked nonchalantly. But in reality, she was wondering why Sayori was so focused on spending time with her.

“I wanted to ask you about something,” Sayori said, beaming. “I’ve felt really bad for leaving you out of so much stuff lately. You’re the president, after all, and none of us would’ve met without you! Besides, I care a lot about you. So… the girls and I were talking, and… we decided we wanted to invite you to a sleepover! Just us girls, no boys allowed!”

Monika giggled softly at Sayori’s enthusiasm. But simultaneously, she found herself thinking. Did everyone really care that much about her? Before, no one had focused on her. She’d just been a minor background character. But now… was she really an important part of everyone’s lives?

“Aww, that sounds so cool!” Monika replied happily. “When were you wanting to do this?”

“Well,” Sayori said, “my parents are out of town this weekend, so we were thinking we could all hang at my place!” She grinned widely. “Sound good?”

Monika nodded, smiling and tilting at the waist. “I look forward to it! I don’t get to spend much time with anyone outside of school, so it could be fun to allow myself to not be so authoritative and straight-laced!”

Sayori nodded. “I’ve always wondered what you were like when you weren’t busy being the bossy teacher type! I’m excited to see that side of you!”

Monika smiled. _Me too,_ she thought; she’d never really had an opportunity to be truly herself. Well, there _was_ one time, during the last playthrough, when she was alone with MC, but… she didn’t like to think about that. “Well, I guess we’ll meet up on Friday afternoon after school then!” Sayori nodded, and Monika and Sayori walked out together, chatting about plans for the weekend.

* * *

 

It was Friday afternoon, finally! Sayori had been home for a couple of hours, and had just finished cleaning up the living room and the guest room. It was nice to have friends coming over, she thought; it provided her with motivation to do tasks she’d otherwise been neglecting. She was so excited to spend time with everyone, too; she and Natsuki planned to set up a Mario Kart competition as a means to get Yuri and Monika into enjoying video games as well.

Video games had been a hobby of Sayori’s for a long time, ever since MC and she had played Super Mario World together as children. Sayori had always had to play as Luigi as a kid, but she never minded; spending time with MC was more important than being player one. But as she’d grown older, she’d developed an interest in games with intriguing and complex plots, like Japanese role playing games such as the Final Fantasy series (she’d had a bit of a crush on Squall from Final Fantasy VIII when she was younger, mostly because he reminded her of MC). She and Natsuki had bonded over this interest, as Natsuki loved the Kingdom Hearts series. Natsuki always said that Yuri would love those types of games, due to her appreciation of complex fantasy worlds and immersive stories. As for Monika, she was always so straight-laced and grounded in reality. It could be good for her to indulge in some healthy fun escapism.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Sayori excitedly dashed to the door, opening it to find Yuri and Natsuki, smiling and each carrying a tray of cupcakes Natsuki and Yuri had baked together especially for this event. “Hi girls!” Sayori shouted excitedly. She guided them to the kitchen, where they set down the cupcakes, and then the group returned to the living room, chatting casually and waiting for Monika to arrive.

* * *

 

 _Well, this should be the house,_ Monika thought to herself. It looked identical to MC’s home, but that was just due to the limited art budget of the game. She apprehensively rang the doorbell.

Almost immediately, Sayori opened the door. “Hey girls, Monika’s here!” she shouted behind her, pulling Monika in. Monika giggled again. Sayori was so cute when she was all enthusiastic like this.

“Hi, girls,” Monika said with a smile. The other two smiled in return.

“There’s cupcakes in the kitchen!” Natsuki said, smiling proudly.

“Yes, we made them together. I hope you like them!” Yuri added.

Retrieving a cupcake, Monika took a small bite. _Wow, these are even better than usual…_ She wondered if Yuri had a secret talent at baking that no one had previously known.

When she returned to the room, Sayori was setting up a game console. “Natsuki and I decided we should all play Mario Kart together!” she said with a grin. Monika looked over at Yuri apprehensively. Yuri, however, simply looked resigned to her fate; Monika assumed that Natsuki had warned her beforehand. _Well… maybe this’ll be fun after all!_ Monika thought to herself.

* * *

 

An hour later, Monika certainly did seem to be having fun. “Haha, get wrecked!” she shouted, accelerating her cart past Yuri’s and tossing a red shell at her in the process. Monika was playing as Mario, while Yuri played as Yoshi. Sayori had chosen to play as Bowser, and Natsuki played as Peach.

“Oh? We’ll see about that,” Yuri responded with a grin, using her mushroom to speed up, back past Monika.

“This is so much fun!” Sayori cheered, tossing a banana behind her and executing a drift turn.

Monika and Yuri traded the lead back and forth. Suddenly, however, a blue explosion spontaneously appeared, catching both of them in its radius. “W-what was that?” Monika muttered, exasperated.

Suddenly, a pink cart appeared behind the others, racing past and taking the lead. “Yeahhhh, eat blue shell, bitches!” Natsuki suddenly shouted. “As I expected, I’m the best,” she said tauntingly as she raced past the finish line and took first place.

Sayori giggled, watching Monika get flustered and upset. Monika never really let down her “club president” façade, so it was interesting to see what her personality was really like. Watching her and Natsuki playfully argue about whether or not usage of a blue shell constituted cheating was very endearing. Sayori smiled. _I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends,_ she thought.

“Hey, you guys keep playing, I’m gonna order a pizza, okay?” Sayori interrupted. Suddenly, the other girls’ eyes lit up and they stopped arguing.

“Ooh, sounds yummy!” Natsuki said, grinning. Yuri simply nodded in agreement.

“I hate to be a nuisance, but could I ask that we get a separate pizza with no meat? I’m trying to go vegetarian,” Monika asked softly. “I don’t mind paying for the veggie one.”

“Oh hush, I’ll take care of it,” Sayori said, beaming. “I was gonna get two anyway, we’ll just get one with pepperoni and one with veggies!”

Monika smiled, but… something about her face seemed upset. It looked the same way her face always did when Sayori tried to do something nice for her. Was that an expression of… guilt…?

“Yuri, Natsuki, do you have any preferences for the pizza?” Sayori asked.

“Natsuki, dear, would you be okay with sausage as well on the meat pizza?” Yuri asked her girlfriend.

“Yeah, sounds good! I might eat some of both, so Monika, you wanna get mushrooms on the veggie one?” Natsuki said, turning to Monika.

“…Hmm? Oh, yeah, mushrooms are fine,” Monika responded absentmindedly. _She’s acting strange…_ Sayori thought. She resolved to check up on Monika later, to make sure she was doing alright.

* * *

 

A short while later, the pizzas had arrived, and the girls ate, no longer playing Mario Kart.

“So, what do you wanna do now?” Monika asked, her mouth half-filled with a slice of pizza.

“Mmm…” Sayori thought for a moment. “Ooh! I could set up the DVD player and we could watch a movie! That’d be fun!”

Monika nodded with a smile. “That sounds good! Movies are always really good for relaxing time, I find. What movie do you think we should watch, girls? Maybe an action movie, like The Matrix?”

Monika’s suggestion of The Matrix resonated with Sayori on some subconscious level for some reason, like it had some sort of significance… Shaking off the strange feeling, Sayori contemplated for a moment. “What about a Disney movie, like maybe The Little Mermaid? What do you think, girls?” Sayori turned around to look at the couch behind her. “Huh? Where did Yuri and Natsuki go?”

Monika looked behind her and noticed the other two were missing. “Hmm… they probably went up to the guest room to spend some time together,” she muttered with a smirk.

Sayori and Monika’s eyes met, and at the same time they started singing, “Natsuki and Yuri, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

The two laughed together. Monika had such a sweet laugh, and Sayori found herself wishing Monika would laugh more often. _That reminds me…_

“Monika? Are you… doing alright?” Sayori suddenly asked.

“Hmm? How do you mean?” Monika muttered.

Going behind the TV to plug in the DVD player’s AV cord, Sayori continued, “You just… seem kinda off today. You keep going all absentminded and lost in thought. I’m just worried about you, you know?”

“I-I’m fine!” Monika shouted, almost instantly. “Well… I have had some things on my mind lately. But… I don’t really know how to talk to you about them…”

Sayori walked back from behind the TV, sitting down in front of Monika. “Monika, you’re one of my best friends. You can talk to me about anything. But I won’t pressure you. Just… remember, you and MC were there for me when I needed it most. So I’m here for you too, okay?” she finished with a grin.

After a moment, Monika reluctantly nodded. “O-okay. I might take a while to get ready to open up, but… I promise I will. You’re my friend. I trust you.”

* * *

 

  
Yuri and Natsuki were indeed in the guest room, tangled in each other’s arms and kissing passionately. But… Natsuki seemed distant, removed. Yuri broke the kiss, pulling back and gazing at Natsuki with concern. “Is… is everything okay, dear? You seem very unenthusiastic. I don’t want to proceed if it’s making you uncomfortable…”

Natsuki closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’m okay, Yuri. I think so, at least. I just… I need to talk to you about something important before we go any further.”

Yuri hesitated before nodding. This wasn’t like Natsuki at all; usually when something was wrong, she hid her true feelings behind some kind of snarky joke or comment. Yuri had expected a “you better not laugh at me!” from her or something similar, so to hear Natsuki speaking so seriously… “Natsuki, love, you know you can tell me anything. No matter how bad it is.”

Natsuki’s eyes flashed for a moment, and she opened her mouth as if to angrily say something defensive, but then she paused, considering her words. After a moment, her face calmed, and she said quietly, “It’s not bad. But lots of people think it is. And I don’t know if you’re one of those people so I’m just… afraid.”

Yuri said nothing. Her mind raced with a thousand potential terrible things Natsuki could tell her, each more unrealistic than the last. Forcing herself to focus on the moment, she shut out the negative thoughts and clasped Natsuki’s hand in her own. Eventually, she said, “I love and trust you no matter what. So what is it, dear?”

Natsuki took a deep breath. “I didn’t think I needed to tell anyone this, because I don’t feel like I need to out myself to everyone, because it doesn’t affect them. But with you… with the direction we’re going… I need to tell you before we do anything sexual.” Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes. “I’m… I’m trans, Yuri. I was assigned male at birth. I’ve been on HRT for a little over a year now, but I haven’t, like, had surgery or anything. I had to tell you because… if we had sex, I didn’t want you to feel betrayed or lied to about… my body. So yeah. If you feel like I’ve hidden too much from you, or lied to you, I don’t blame you if you want to leave me…” A tear trickled down Natsuki’s cheek.

Yuri had to restrain herself from sighing in relief, as she knew Natsuki, in her vulnerable and insecure state, would _definitely_ misinterpret such an action. But she truly was relieved; of all the things Natsuki could’ve told her, the fact that she was trans felt practically inconsequential in comparison. She loved Natsuki, not the concept of whatever she’d imagined was between Natsuki’s legs. She loved Natsuki, herself. Her caring heart, her cute mannerisms, her beautiful smile, her warm hugs. All her silly hobbies and interests, the way she excelled at making cupcakes, the way she made Yuri feel… she could go on forever about the things that were infinitely more important to her than sexual organs.

Yuri wrapped her arms around Natsuki tightly, holding her close. “Natsuki, love… That doesn’t matter to me. I-I mean, it does, in that I understand and respect that it’s an important part of your identity…” Yuri stumbled over her words. “What I mean to say is that, I love you, Natsuki. You are a beautiful and perfect woman, and some silly concept like arbitrary assignment of sex at birth isn’t going to change that. I’d never feel betrayed or lied to by the fact that you felt too insecure to tell me. That isn’t your fault, that’s the fault of a society that makes you and other trans people feel too unsafe to be yourselves.”

Natsuki sniffled next to Yuri’s ear, clinging onto her tightly. “So… It’s really okay? You don’t… hate me for lying to you?”

Yuri pulled back, smiling reassuringly. “Natsuki, honey, you never lied to me. You are a woman, a real and valid one, even if we live in a society that might tell you otherwise sometimes.”

Natsuki wiped her eyes, smiling now. “Y-yeah, I guess you’re right. God, I was being stupid, worrying about nothing, huh?”

“No, you weren’t stupid,” Yuri reassured her. “You were just afraid. And that’s okay. But you don’t have to be with me.”

Natsuki nodded, smiling, then wrapped her arms back around Yuri’s neck and kissed her deeply, pushing her onto her back again and slightly sliding her hands under Yuri’s sweater. In surprise, Yuri stalled for a moment before kissing back enthusiastically, running her fingers through Natsuki’s hair. Natsuki pulled back slightly, and said, with a slightly seductive tone, “So, now that we’ve got that out of the way… do you still want to maybe…?”

Before Yuri could (enthusiastically) nod, a sudden knock sounded on the door. Natsuki jumped back instantly, and Yuri said meekly, “Come in!”

The door opened to reveal Monika, standing with a smile. “Girls! Sayori got the DVD player to work, if you two want to come down and watch a movie with us.” Monika looked over the scene in front of her, noticing the couple’s messy hair and Yuri’s halfway-pushed up sweater, and her smile turned slightly awkward. “But, umm… if I’m interrupting anything…” she said bashfully.

“N-no, we’re fine!” Natsuki shouted, her face a bright red. “Come on, Yuri, let’s go!” She practically bolted up off the bed and past Monika into the hallway.

* * *

 

Yuri and Natsuki laid together on a blanket on the floor, while Sayori and Monika sat together on the couch. They had decided to watch The Little Mermaid after all; it was one of Sayori’s favorite movies from her childhood, and Monika and Yuri had never seen it, so they had agreed to watch it due to the fact that it was a relevant piece of pop culture.

Halfway through the movie, Monika noticed it was getting dark outside, and it looked like the others were starting to doze off. Yuri and Natsuki were snuggled closely together on the floor. How Monika longed for that closeness, that affection…

Meanwhile, Sayori looked to be completely asleep. She was laying on the couch, her head up against Monika’s legs, almost on her lap. Monika looked down at her gently. _Sayori… I’m still so sorry…_ she thought, recalling the hell she had put Sayori through in prior playthroughs. It felt… painful, almost, to see Sayori being so affectionate and trusting towards her as to fall asleep almost in her lap. _I don’t deserve this… I’m such a terrible person…_

Monika gently reached down and stroked Sayori’s hair. Once, before she had realized the nature of this world, she had actually had a bit of a crush on Sayori. The attraction was still there, she supposed. But Sayori was so happy now with MC. Monika would never do anything to harm that relationship. Besides, she didn’t deserve Sayori’s affection after what she’d done to her… _I wish I could apologize to her for it,_ Monika thought. But, of course, apologizing would mean making Sayori aware of the nature of this world, which would do infinitely more harm than good. _Unless…_ an idea suddenly struck Monika.

Reaching out her consciousness to the sleeping girl, she used the code of the game to send herself into Sayori’s dream. Apologizing to Sayori’s subconscious would assuage her guilt without doing any further harm to her.

In the dream, Sayori was at her desk in her bedroom, writing. Monika gently knocked on the open door before walking in. “Sayori?” she asked.

“Oh, hi, Monika,” Sayori answered, without looking up. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m… I’m here to talk to you about something important. I… I want to apologize.” Monika took a deep breath. “See, it’s hard to explain, but… I’ve done some horrible things to you in the past. Things you probably don’t remember. This world—“

“Monika, I already know. I remember everything.” Sayori said, finally looking up at Monika with a smile.

Monika gasped in shock. “W-what? How could you--?”

Sayori giggled. “I was club president for a while too, remember? That’s not something you just forget, even if my conscious mind doesn’t remember. Monika, you didn’t know that we were just as real as you are. You thought your self-awareness was unique to you, and not a result of the club president position. You made the most reasonable choices you could, given that you thought you were a real person trapped in a simulation with a bunch of facsimiles. I don’t blame you for what you did to me. I know you’d never have done it if you knew I was real, or perhaps that you weren’t. I’m still not sure of the difference, to be entirely honest, and I’m not sure it matters. Maybe we’re real, maybe we aren’t. But what matters is that we’re all here now, and happy. You’re my best friend after MC, Monika. You’ve done so much for me, for all of us. Yeah, you made me more depressed, and hurt me. But you also saved my life. I probably would’ve killed myself way earlier if you hadn’t started the Literature Club with me. It gave me something to focus on, to strive for. Something to wake up for every day.” Sayori looked into Monika’s eyes deeply. “It doesn’t matter what bad things happened in the past. I forgive you, Monika.”

Monika paused, speechless. Sayori remembered and knew everything, and yet… she still had it in her to forgive her? Wordlessly, Monika stepped forward and took Sayori in a big hug. “Thank you so much, Sayori…” she muttered. “You’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever known.”

Sayori grinned. “Aww, you’re so sweet…”

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you to your dreams, Sayori. Thank you. For everything,” Monika said.

“Of course!” Sayori beamed, before returning to her writing.

Monika exited the dream and returned to her own body. Looking down at Sayori, she noticed that she was smiling in her sleep. Monika felt tears welling up in her eyes. She felt so blessed, so lucky, to be sharing this world with such lovely people as her friends. And once again, she resolved that even as this world grew more and more realistic to her, she would still do everything in her power to defend her friends.


	11. Yuri Comes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Yuri's POV.
> 
> Also, please bear with me! I might take a while to get the next chapter after this one out. I'm working on some angsty stuff involving Natsuki's dad, so that might be kinda rough and it might take me a good minute. Thanks for reading this far if you have! I hope you continue to come with me on this journey haha <3

“Yuri… Are you ashamed of me?

The question takes me so off guard that I’m stunned into silence for a moment. “A-ashamed of you? Never, Natsuki…”

“Do you promise?” Natsuki asked me, an anxious look on her face.

I turn towards her and cup her face between my hands. “Of course. Tell me what’s bothering you,” I mutter.

“Well…” she blushes, averting her eyes. “You know I’d never pressure you to come out to your parents before you’re ready. I’m just feeling a little… insecure lately, and you know how my mind is, latching onto every possible reason for someone to dislike me. Hell, I used to be completely unable to express my emotions, you know. And so I was afraid that was why you hadn’t come out yet.”

I sigh. I completely understand where Natsuki is coming from. In her position, I would probably feel the exact same way; knowing it’s an irrational fear, but unable to stop myself from being afraid regardless. “Natsuki, dear… I’d never be ashamed of you. I’m afraid to come out to my parents because I’m afraid of their reaction. My anxiety… I get so anxious that I can’t even speak, every time I try to come out to them. I…” I stumble over my words now. “I know they’ve never said anything bigoted, or homophobic. But that doesn’t mean they won’t, you know? I’m just scared, Natsuki...”

Natsuki looks back at me, understanding in her eyes. Honestly, I’m so blessed to have her. She opens her mouth, considering what to say, before she finally starts speaking. “I understand. It… it took me a long time to come out to my parents too, you know. My mom… she was really supportive of me. My dad just acts like if he ignores it, it’ll go away. But I always thought they’d both hate me for being trans, or think that because I’m a trans girl who also likes girls, that I was faking it or something.” She takes a deep breath.

I know it’s not easy for Natsuki to talk about her mother. Her mom passed away only a little over a year ago, and since then… well, she’s never told me anything about her father hurting or neglecting her, but… I’m still concerned by what she _doesn’t_ say.

Natsuki continues, “But Mom was really great about it, you know? She went with me to all my doctor’s appointments, helped get me started on HRT. And… I know your parents are gonna be just as supportive of you when you do come out as bisexual, Yuri. But I do understand. Take as long as you need, okay? And when you do come out, I’ll be there with you. You can hold my hand to make it easier, huh?” she finishes with a wide grin.

I feel so much better already. Natsuki has a way of making me feel much better anytime I get anxious. I’ll come out to them soon. I know it. In the meantime, however…

“Okay! Well at any rate, we’re still on a date, you know,” I say with a wink. We never really go out anywhere, so our “dates” are usually just hanging out in my bedroom. Not so good for social interaction, true, but… pretty good for private time.

“Oh, is that so?” Natsuki says with a smirk. She snuggles up to me, kissing me softly. I kiss back, wrapping my arms tightly around her. Our mouths part in unison, tongues dancing, sliding along one another. Kissing Natsuki is truly blissful. I wish this could go on forever—

I hear the door to my room open. Instantly, Natsuki and I break our kiss, and I turn to look at the door. My mother stands in the doorway, a surprised expression on her face. _Crap…_

* * *

 

“Well, Mom…” I start, embarrassed. As promised, Natsuki takes my hand reassuringly.

We’re now sitting in the living room with my mother. My dad’s not home yet, so I guess I’ll have to come out to him separately.

“I… I don’t really know how else to put it, so I guess I’ll just say it. I’m bisexual, Mom.” I hide my face behind my long hair, blushing fervently. _Here it comes…_

I feel arms wrap around me. Looking up, I see that my mother has taken me in a tight embrace. “Oh, Yuri…” she mutters. “I’m so sorry if I made you feel like you wouldn’t be safe coming out to me!”

She… she’s concerned about my feelings? She doesn’t sound upset at all! I tightly hug her back, a smile dawning on my face. “No, Mom, it’s okay. It wasn’t you. You know how I am with anxiety and everything…”

Mom chuckles softly, patting me on the back. “Your father’s going to be incredibly supportive too, you know, so don’t be afraid to come out to him either. We’ll tell him together when he gets home, okay?” She pulls back from the hug and smiles at me.

I feel my grin widen. “Thank you, Mom…” I say.

“Of course!” She then turns to Natsuki, and takes her in a hug as well.

“W-wait, wha—“ Natsuki says in surprise.

“Thank you, Natsuki, for being there for my daughter. You know you’re like a second daughter to us, with how sweet and supportive you’ve been towards Yuri. I couldn’t possibly pick someone else who I’d rather be my sweet Yuri’s girlfriend,” Mom says.

“Aah… uhh… thanks, I guess…” Natsuki mumbles, embarrassed.

“Now, Natsuki,” Mom continues, “you’ll stay for dinner, right?”

“I-I can’t… my dad will be mad if I’m not home…” she mumbles. She always sounds so afraid of him… It really worries me.

“Psh, nonsense! You’re having dinner at a ‘friend’s’ house, at a parent’s invitation!” When Mom said “friend,” she accompanied it with a giant wink. She’s so embarrassing sometimes, but in an endearing way. “I’m sure it’ll be fine!” she continues.

Natsuki bites her lip. I recognize that expression; it’s the face she makes when she wants to say something but isn’t sure how. Eventually, she mutters, “Well okay… I’ll let him know I’m staying, then.”

She pulls out her phone and types out a quick text. Within moments, she gets a response. She seems surprised as she says, “He says it’s okay!” with a wide grin.

“See? It’s fine,” Mom says with a warm smile. “Do you want to come help with preparing dinner, Natsuki? I know you’re a guest and all, but Yuri tells me you love cooking.”

Natsuki’s eyes light up. “I’d love to, Mom—“ her face turns red as she realizes what she just said. “Umm, I mean, Mrs.—“

Mom cuts her off. “Don’t be silly! You can just call me Mom, it’s fine!” She wraps Natsuki in a small hug again, before saying, “Okay then, let’s get to the kitchen, dear!” Together, they depart into the kitchen.

I breathe a sigh of relief. That went far better than I could ever have hoped. Smiling widely, I stand up and walk into the kitchen to see if the two of them need any help.


	12. Ugh, Clubs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter introduces two new OCs of mine, named Kain and Lucidia! I hope you like them! <3 this chapter is from Kain's perspective. I was originally planning on taking this collection in a darker, angsty sort of direction, but I decided I'd rather do that in a separate story, so I can keep everything nice and wholesome round these parts! :) please, lemme know if you have any requests for the story, including with these new characters!

I relax in my room, reading. I’m rereading one of my favorite novels, _The Name of the Wind_ by Patrick Rothfuss. High fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres, and my cousin Yuri recommended this to me a year or so ago. She usually reads horror, but she always talks about how a truly good fantasy story that takes you to another world can be just as good. I don’t really get all the pretentious shit she goes on about sometimes, but this really is a good book, so I can’t really be too annoyed about it.

Suddenly, I hear a vibration. I check my phone to see a text from my best friend, Lucidia.

[Make sure to get to bed early tonight, Kain! We have a big day tomorrow, joining the Literature Club! Don’t forget!] the screen reads.

I roll my eyes, brushing my hand through my white hair. Lucie has been nagging me ever since the festival to join a club. She keeps saying I’m going to end up as a NEET if I don’t join one soon. I finally caved and told her I’d join the Literature Club, just to shut her up. It was the first club I thought of, because Yuri’s in it. But, would you believe it, she said she’d join too! I wonder if she actually cares about literature, or if she just wants to make sure I’m actually doing it. Probably the latter… But after all, literature is fun, so it probably won’t be that bad.

[Yeah yeah fine, I’m going to bed,] I text back. She means well, but she’s really annoying sometimes. I know she’ll kick my ass tomorrow if I don’t go to bed soon, so I get up and start getting ready for bed.

* * *

 

Well, the school day is over. I guess we’re going to the Literature Club… I walk out into the hallway, to find Lucie already waiting for me. “Come on, let’s go! I’ve got the room number on this flyer,” Lucie says energetically. Her golden-yellow eyes shine like the sun with excitement. I wish I could be this enthusiastic, to be honest.

We head across the school towards the third-year classrooms, and before long, we’ve arrived outside the door. Lucie knocks on the door firmly. The discussion behind the door suddenly goes silent, before a bubbly happy voice speaks up. “Come in!” the voice exclaims.

Lucie opens the door and primly strides in. I casually stroll in behind her, and look around the room. There’s Yuri, sitting in the corner reading a book with a pink-haired girl I’ve seen her with a couple times; I guess that must be Natsuki, her girlfriend. Yuri’s eyes light up with recognition as she sees me, and she smiles. Then there’s a girl with coral-colored hair with a big red bow in it, who’s beaming at us. Next to her is a guy with brown hair and golden-colored eyes somewhat like Lucie’s. _Wow, he’s fucking gorgeous… probably straight though,_ I think to myself. Lastly, there’s a girl sitting by herself. She’s got long brown hair and green eyes that seem… piercing, almost. And her expression is unusual. She looks… shocked, almost disturbed, to see us. What’s her problem…?

“Oh, hello!” the girl with the coral hair speaks up. I notice her voice is the one we heard from the hall. “Welcome to the Literature Club! How can we help you?” she asks with a smile.

“Hi, my name is Lucidia, and this is my friend Kain,” Lucie says authoritatively. “We’re here to inquire about joining the club.”

The coral-haired girl’s eyes light up, and she shouts, “Really? Yay! Monika, we’ve got new members!” She looks over at the girl with the brown hair. Her name is Monika? Yeah, I remember hearing about her. She’s a pretty popular girl in our grade, but I never really hung with that crowd, so I never really got to know her.

“O-oh, yes, thanks for alerting me, Sayori,” Monika responded. So the other girl’s name is Sayori. Okay. So that’s everyone’s name except the cute boy next to Sayori. “Well, hello,” she continues. She still looks confused by our presence, but who knows, maybe she’s just having an off day or something?

“So let me introduce you to everyone. I’m Monika, the club president! Over here is my vice president, Sayori,” she points to the coral-haired girl, “our newest member, MC,” pointing to the boy, “and over in the corner we have Yuri, and Natsuki.”

“Yeah, I already know Yuri,” I speak up. “She’s my cousin.”

Yuri nods happily and says, “Kain is a very avid reader! I think he’ll be a good fit for the club.” Whew, putting a little too much faith in me there, cousin. I like reading, but I wouldn’t consider myself an “avid” anything. Except maybe an avid slacker.

Monika nods at Yuri. “Ah, I see! Interesting. Lucidia, Kain, I think we’d love to have you join! Let me just take you two outside to fill out some preliminary club paperwork without disturbing anyone’s reading, okay?” she asks with a kind of… unsettling grin.

Lucie doesn’t seem to have noticed Monika’s weird behavior, as she says, “Alright! Let’s go then,” and leads the way to the door. It’s funny how she always makes a point of taking the lead in every situation. Even in this one, where Monika should be leading as the president of the club. Those two are _not_ going to get along…

Anyway, we go outside, and Monika closes the door behind us—

Whoa. What the fuck is going on? The entire world looks like it’s breaking into fragments around us. Monika’s the only thing that looks stable…

“ **Who are you?** ” she asks, her voice sounding distorted. I look over at Lucie. Her face looks absolutely stunned, and she remains silent.

“ **How did you get into this game? Were you coded here? I don’t see character files for you. Are you sentient like me? Do you understand the nature of this world?** ” Monika growls at us. “ **Are you here to harm my girls? Or are you independent creations of the game?** ”

“W-what are you talking about…?” Lucie stutters. When she’s really afraid, her stutter comes back and she tends to repeat herself a lot. She’s had it ever since we were kids, but she keeps it under control most of the time. But at moments like this, when she’s terrified, she completely loses her composure. “W-we aren’t… we d-don’t want to h-h-hurt anyone, what are you t-talking about….?”

“Yeah, what’s the big idea?” I ask angrily. I’m scared as fuck too, to be entirely honest, but I’m a lot better at forcing myself to remain calm and roll with the punches. “What do you mean, game? We’re not playing any games, we’re just here trying to join a goddamn literature club and you’re being creepy as fuck.”

Monika’s expression seems to change after she watches us for a moment. “ **Hmm… I believe you. But I still don’t know how you got here. In any case, I’m sorry for having scared you like this. You won’t remember any of this, but thanks for at least speaking to me. I won’t let any harm come to you two either.** ”

We aren’t going to remember this? She won’t let any harm come to us? What the fuck is she talking aboutttttttttt

ĚŰČçÌŖŚµŭò¨ÝġÆÁĥĖðĨ¾½¥§ŧ©ßĈůŷÀđÿĿŢŅÖßĶ

“Kain is a very avid reader! I think he’ll be a good fit for the club,” Yuri says with a smile. Whew, putting a little too much faith in me there, cousin. I like reading, but I wouldn’t consider myself an “avid” anything. Except maybe an avid slacker.

…Wait, that seems vaguely familiar. Did we already…? Nah, just déjà vu.

“Ah, I see!” Monika says with a smile, nodding in Yuri’s direction. “Lucidia, Kain, I think we’d love to have you join! In fact, it’s about time for all of us to share poems! Every day, we write a new poem and bring it in to share with everyone!” She grins and tilts slightly at the waist. “It’s a fun exercise that helps us get to know each other better, and also to enjoy literature!”

I look over at Lucie. Oh no… she’s got that bossy bitch-face on again. She’s going to start trying to throw her inflated ego around and dominate the conversation like she always does when she doesn’t like something… she always does this when she doesn’t get her way. I think it comes from the fact that her dad is rich as hell, but I’d never say that to her; I don’t particularly want to get smacked.

“Umm… I don’t mean to criticize the way you run your club or anything, Monika, but that doesn’t seem like a very efficient system to me. It seems to me that creative burnout could easily set in soon, and everyone would be tired of writing poetry,” she says with her bossy tone.

Monika’s expression changes. She looks confused, almost like she’s not used to being challenged. “W-well…” she mutters. “It’s never been a problem before…”

Sayori speaks up then, an almost sort of angry expression on her face. “Yeah! Monika’s a great leader, and we all have a wonderful time here! Don’t be mean, Lucidia!” Natsuki and Yuri nod in agreement. I never expected Sayori to be the assertive one… but I guess that’s why she’s Vice President.

“Lucie, come on, don’t be like that. We just joined. I bet they know what works for the club better than we do, huh?” I say calmingly. That’s the trick with Lucie; when she gets like this, just appeal to her sense of reason and she’ll realize what a bitch she’s being.

“O-oh… You’re right, Kain, I’m sorry…” she mumbles. “I’m so sorry, everyone! I don’t always think before I speak, and sometimes I can be kind of bossy… I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings…” Okay good, that was the reaction I was hoping for.

Sayori grins at Lucie. “It’s okay! Happens to the best of us! Even Yuri sometimes speaks before she thinks, and she’s an amazing person!” Yuri blushes and hides her face behind her hair as Sayori says that. It’s true that Yuri is sometimes very blunt with her thoughts, but saying that so plainly… Something tells me Sayori doesn’t always think before she speaks either, but it’s kind of endearing. MC smiles at her when she says that. _Yep, definitely straight, or at least he loves her,_ I think to myself with a slight sense of disappointment. But it’s fine, of course. We sit around the table and the others pull their poems out. I guess it’s time to get to know everyone else…

 

(A/N: I'm gonna drop a link to some art of Kain and Lucie down below so you know what they look like! This art was drawn by my good friend @prsresidentpansexual on Tumblr, they're such a dear and I'm grateful to them for supporting my writing and also just being awesome!! Anyway! [Here they are!](https://wildfluffyappeared.tumblr.com/post/175832232786/prsresidentpansexual-wildfluffyappeared-i-drew))

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading y'all! :) again, if you have any prompts you'd like to see me try out with these characters please comment and let me know! If it fits in the overall plotline of my AU and if it's something I feel good about writing, it might make it into an upcoming chapter! :)


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